The Battle of Tokyo
by FrenchGeek5550
Summary: A mysterious gate suddenly appears in the middle of a bustling district and opens up, letting loose an army of unknown creatures to attack and slaughter civilians in their path, plunging Tokyo into chaos and destruction. It is up to Japanese and American forces to fight back and retake the city. The battle of Tokyo has begun, this is the start of the Digital Crisis.
1. Chapter 1

Digital Crisis:

The Battle of Tokyo

 _March 9th 2017, Ginza District, Tokyo._

After getting off the train and walking into the busy crowd of the Japanese metro, an excited man was looking forward to this day. Indeed this was the 2017 Spring Doujinshi Convention, where many professional and amateur mangakas meet and greet their fans as well as another place for cosplayers to be in for the sake of cosplaying. At first sight, he seemed like an average man, short spiky and messy dark brown hair, oval shaped head, brown eyes with a small patch of beard on his chin, which he didn't bother to shave. He wore a simple orange t-shirt and white cargo shorts with simple white sneakers to match. During his trip in the train, his eyes were glued on his smartphone as he plays a newly installed Japanese MMORPG video game. Overall, he is an otaku and proud to be.

However he is more than your average anime and manga lover. His name is Youji Itami, 33 years old and a Second Lieutenant of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, 36th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division of the Central Army. To his luck, he was given a week leave, just in time for the important event.

Caught up in his video game, he didn't see the structural beam he was currently heading straight forward. Before he could spot it, he knocked himself against it head first. It was quite a painful experience.

"Are you alright, sir?" A male voice asked concernly as some people stopped and witnessed the scene.

"Y-yeah, j-just hit my head hard- ow!" He exclaimed after touching the bruise on his forehead.

"Here, let me help you up," The stranger said while offering his hand.

Grateful, Itami took his hand and heaved himself back on his feet. "Thanks, man, I appreciate the he-" He stopped mid-sentence and instantly smiled. The other person also smiled as both of them recognised each other.

"Crap, LT, is that you?" The man punched lightly his arm.

He was a much younger man, barely 21 but a sergeant of the JGSDF, the same unit as Itami's. In fact, Takeo Kurata is Itami's best friend and also an otaku.

"Damn right I am, come here you!" Itami playfully said as he grabbed him in a headlock, ruffling his hair while laughing. "You came here for the convention?" He asked excitingly.

"Hell yeah!" Kurata replied cheerfully.

Their friendly reunion was put to an abrupt stop when they heard frantic screaming outside the station, making everyone halt in place in a heavy silence as confusion started to spread across the station. Looking out the windows, their jaws dropped once they witnessed a gigantic red bug flying through the streets, causing death and destruction. Immediately and driven by primal fear, the civilians ran away screaming while others were too afraid to move from their spot, pushed around by the panicking crowd.

"Oh fuck..." Kurata stated with fear.

"We need to get these people to safety, fast!" Itami suggested urgently.

"What?! No! We need to get the hell out of here, dude!" The other protested.

"If we run like cowards, not only will innocent lives will be lost but more importantly the convention will be cancelled!"

Staring at the off-duty officer with a deadpan look, Kurata decided against leaving the civilians behind... as for the convention, he's willing to let it burn to the ground if it meant his life safe and sound.

"Alright, sir, what are your orders?" He asked with a sharp salute.

"Follow my lead," Itami instructed before he shouted to the people inside the station, "Everyone! Evacuate to the Imperial Palace! Now! Let's go!"

Like a herd of sheep, the frightened civilians ran to the direction of the palace. Kurata joined in and calmly warned and instructed the rest of them to the palace. Later, he and Itami got out of the station and into the streets. Numerous police armoured vehicles droved passed the station. Itami waved his arms around to stop them. Eventually, a police riot truck barely struck him if not thanks to the driver's expert driving skill.

"What the fuck? I could have killed you!" The police driver shouted angrily.

Taking out his military ID card, Itami ran to the driver and showed it. "Listen, man, I've instructed civilians to gather at the palace, I suggest that you gather as many officers as you can and form up a defensive line until help arrives!"

Without a single second to spare, the police officer allowed them in the vehicle. And so, the Battle of Tokyo begins.

It only took a few minutes for the riot truck to catch with the rest of the police convoy, assembled at the Imperial Palace. The ancient palace's gates were opened for the thousands of civilian flocking in in panic, praying to the divines to protect and save their souls. Municipal police officers tried their best to install order and discipline among the civilians as they lead them in the castle, reassuring them with their presence.

The convoy unloaded weapons and ammunation crates while heavily armoured officers rushed out of the vehicles and formed a defensive perimeter around the castle. Itami and Kurata were grouped with the police forces at the Eastern gate, where it is more likely that the enemy will show up.

"Here, guys," A police officer handed the two off-duty JSDF soldiers MP5A4 submachine guns with two magazines each, "Hope these will be effecient against whatever the hell we're up against," He commented.

Itami and Kurata had managed to save at least a thousand of civilians, now inside the Imperial Palace, safe behind the fort's massive walls. A dozen units of riot police and anti-firearms squads were formed at the Eastern defensive line, a line of riot shields and small arms guarded the palace's gate. The two soldiers wore over their civilian clothes lightweight bullet-proof vest. Gunshots echoed in the distant as a mysterious fog crept towards them.

"Shit, where the hell did that fog come from?" Asked Kurata nervously.

"No idea..." Itami replied, he turned around to a police captain, "How long until reinforcements arrive?"

"They should be here in a few minutes,"

"Let's hope we can hold for this long..." He muttered dreadfully.

"Something's coming up!" Yelled a riot police.

"Get ready! Weapons fire on my signal!" The captain isntructed.

A JGSDF AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flew past them, kicking dust and leaves around it before it fired a couple of rounds in the streets, hopefully killing whatever it was in its path. Suddenly, bullets started flying at their direction. Dozens of wounded fell throughout the defensive line. The first response units fired back blindly. Grenade launchers popped tear gas and smoke at the enemy.

"Medic! Medic!" Men shouted for aid as they drag the wounded and the dead away from the firefight.

SAT sniper teams opened fire at the shadows perceived in the fog of war. The riot shields didn't withstand against whatever the enemy force was firing at them. Their projectiles pierced through the ballistic shield like paper. The main defensive line was starting to lose men and ground fast. Ducking behind the now peppered Toyota land cruiser, Itami reloaded his SMG with the last magazine; Kurata was down to his sidearm, a Glock 19, with only two mags left.

"This is bad, Itami!" Noted Kurata with uncertainty, firing a couple of shots into the fog.

Looking around, Itami spotted a dead police officer near the vehicle. He hastily ran to him and dragged the body back. He passed the pistol mags to Kurata and took the radio.

"To any station, this is Second Lieutenant Itami Youji of the JGSDF! I am requesting reinforcements and evac for the civilians at the Imperial Palace, ASAP! Please respond!"

 _"Lieutenant Itami, this is Striker 1-1, I've got eyes on your position,"_ Responded an attack helicopter pilot, _"Nearest JSDF unit is five mikes away from you, they will arrive with armour and foot mobiles. I can provide you air support from here, how copy?"_

"Solid copy, I want guns at anything beyond the bridge, over," He demanded urgently.

 _"Roger, guns spinning in a second, better cover your ears,"_

The Apache attack helicopter hovered just above them, the M230 chain gun lit up, spitting out heavy rounds angrily at the enemy residing in the fog. The police force could hear their cries of pain in the distance, they cheered happily in response. Regrouped, the SATs and Anti-firearms squads opened fire as the fog miraculously spread out, showing their enemy's true face, and they weren't expecting nor believing at what they were seeing.

The enemy force was an army of creatures of different shape, size and form. They could observe blue reptilians in digital blue camo handling M16 rifles, large living tanks with gigantic armaments, ogres and goblins, avian reptilians and dinosaur-like creature, machinegun wielding centaurs and even human-sized bugs. Shock filled the men and fear ran through them. Itami could see it in their eyes and a scared man is a dead man.

"What are you doing?" He yelled at them sternly, "Kill those fuckers! Make them pay!"

With that, he got out of cover and took out his sidearm, firing at the army of creatures. Inspired, the police officers shot back, letting their weapons do the barking and greeting.

"Defend the civilians to the death, men! For country and honour!" He shouted courageously, this was the first time he led an assault.

The enemy force suddenly charged at them but they held their grounds, with the help of the Apache, they defended the bridge long enough for a brigade of JGSDF soldiers to arrive and relieve them with heavy armour support and APCs. Chinooks flew in the palace's park, where civilians were instructed to get in for the evac. With the combined arms, rifles and cannons, the Japanese forces managed to push back this alien force out of the bridge, though not without any casualties.

While a company of armoured infantry pushed through the streets, several platoons stayed behind to secure and evacuate the dead and wounded. Bullets, blood and bodies lay scattered on the pavement and cobblestone. Itami and Kurata rested against the land cruiser, taking in what they have just went through. They haven't seen so much death and destruction in the span of a couple of minutes, minutes that felt like hours. They were covered in sweat and grime before they were offered clean uniforms and proper JGSDF equipment.

Itami checked his Howa Type 89 assault rifle before he donned his combat helmet. He glanced back at Kurata, who was visibly shaking as he puts on a fresh mag in the rifle. Itami walked up to him, took his rifle, loaded it and pulled the charging handle, weapon's armed and ready to shoot, and handed it back to him firmly, grasping his hands on the rifle.

"Breath in and out slowly, remember your training and aim smart. We will make it through this alive, Takeo," The young soldier nodded nervously, a bit calmed down.

"Second Lieutenant Itami Youji?" Asked a tall and brawn JGSDF soldier.

The trooper was a sturdy young man with broad shoulders and a square head with firm cheeks and a strong jaw line and chin. The man was intimidating but seemed cool and collected, like a gentle giant. The soldier had his combat uniform's sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong built arms and large gloved hands that held firmly the rifle. Behind his combat glasses were calm brown eyes.

"Yeah..." Answered Itami confusely, "That's me alright,"

The tall sturdy man saluted firmly and dutifully, "Sergeant First Class Tomita Akira! Reporting for duty," He then relaxed his posture, "I will be your second-in-command with my unit,"

"Unit?" Asked Sergeant Kurata. Tomita replied with a nod. "Shouldn't Sergeant Major Kuwahara be with us and the platoon?"

"The Sergeant Major left me in charge of our unit while he is leading the rest of the platoon with the company in the assault," He informed to Itami.

"Where is the unit then?" The officer asked curiously.

Tomita turned around and whistled loudly. Moments later, eight other soldiers stood at his attention, lined up and saluting formally. Tomita then went on to introduce each of them.

"Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa, our Combat Medic, Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi, Sergeant Saitama Azuma, Leading Private Daisuke Tozu , Leading Private Wataru Katsumoto, the heavy weapons specialist, Leading Private Sasagawa Hayato and Leading Private Hitoshi Furata. We're the Third Recon Team."

"Nice to meet you all," He said with a curt nod to the squad, "what's the sitrep." He demanded in an authoritative tone.

"For now, we know that the enemy came from Ginza District. Our forces are currently establishing a perimeter to lock them in there so we can evacuate the civilians out and regroup for our counter-assault. U.S Marines are currently on the ground and holding some of our checkpoints, there's an F.O.B in Shinjuku. Our mission is to exfil a VIP at the Metropolitan Government Building."

"Where's that?" Asked Kurata.

"In NishiShinjuku." Sergeant First Class Kuribayashi answered behind him flatly.

"Shit, that's a long way. Do we even have any vehicles at our disposal?" Tomita shook his head dreadfully, all vehicles were either in use or destroyed. Itami slapped himself on the face, hating his current situation.

"At least it's a straight run away from danger," Kurata added, Itami hummed in approval.

"Okay then, Third Recon, move out!" Itami ordered as they went to their objective on foot.

"Ryoukai!"

* * *

In Yokota Air Base, JSDF troops and U.S Marines were gathered in the hangars for a mission brief, preparing for the evacuation of civilians. Reports were still vague but one thing is clear, the unknown opposition force is hostile and it is up to the Marines and JSDF to stop them.

The Marines of First platoon, Echo Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines, all lined up at the attention of Second Lieutenant William Richards and Staff Sergeant Stephen Raymond, one of the most respected senior NCO in the company. Raymond has been in the Corps since he was 18 years old, starting as a simple grunt before crawling his way up to become a Staff Sergeant at the age of 28. He was a light built man, lightly tanned skin, a round and shaved face with dark black short hair, dark brown eyes filled with determination and the experience of a battle-hardened Marine, with seven tours of duty under his belt: mostly in Afghanistan and recently Syria.

"Listen up, Marines!" The Lieutenant began, "For now the situation is still unclear and we do not have any official orders from the higher ups. However, Tokyo is under attack and innocent lives are in danger. Our mission for now is to protect an evac site in Shinjuku where we will hold our line until reinforcements arrive. For now, we will take orders from the JSDF. Is that clear?" He asked loudly.

"Sir Yes sir!" They all shouted in response.

"Let's move out, Marines!" Raymond ordered sternly.

The airfield was filled with numerous JSDF military aircrafts, from "Chinooks" to the UH-60 "BlackHawks" and UH-1 transport helos, to the AH-1 "Cobra" attack helicopters. The platoon piled in their designated Chinook, the air crew member saluted them before operating on the fifty caliber side machine gun. The aircraft slowly lifted to the air before heading towards Shinjuku.

Staff Sergeant Raymond sat near the rear exit ramp of the chopper, gazing at the urban landscape with ease. He then stared back at the platoon, most of them were relaxed albeit a little bit impatient for the veterans while the newer recruits were nervous, this was their first combat mission and they have to face an unknown enemy force. Raymond made sure that they will stay confident and win every firefight this OpFor will throw at them. They were Marines after all, Marines always win battles.

"Yo, Staff Sergeant!" Called a Marine Sergeant from near him, it was Louis Dukeman, Raymond's friend, "Do you think we're fighting aliens now?" He asked jokingly, making some of the greener Marines more nervous.

"Alien or not, we will kick their sorry asses back where they came from!" He replied with a confident smile.

"Oorah!" The veteran Marines praised in unison.

Shortly after landing in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, the platoon of Marines were briefed by their company commander of the situation. The company will set a Forward Operating Base for other U.S and Japanese forces as well being one of the evac sites for the civilians. Currently the platoon was tasked with investigating the Japanese Garden while the company fortified their defenses in the French Garden.

Passing by an ancient but iconic monument of the park, the Marines were enjoying the view of various beautiful plants and trees, especially the sakura trees which were blooming with life. From there, Richards gave the order to split the platoon to squads and ordered them to spread out to cover as much ground as possible. Following behind first squad, Raymond felt at ease in the garden, no wonder everyone go here every day in spring and summer. Suddenly the squad halted. They knelt down while Raymond walked up to Sergeant Dukeman.

"What's the hold up, Dukeman?" He asked curiously.

"I don't remember seeing this small shelter over there, up between the trees." He reported while pointing at a small concrete structure.

"Bravo team, with me," Raymond ordered as the fire team cautiously moved through the foliage.

The rifleman on point was PFC. Samuel Marcus, one of the greener Marines of the platoon, but he also showed confidence and pride despite his lack of experience. M16A4 rifle drawn up and ready to shoot, he scanned his surroundings before hitting his back against the wall of the square-ish concrete shelter.

"U.S Marines! Anyone in there?" He asked out loud in English, which Corporal Jayden Smith slapped himself in disappointment.

Raymond asked the same question out loud but in Japanese this time. However there were still no answers. He was about to order the fireteam back to the squad when all of the sudden he heard a creaking metallic noise followed with frantic footsteps, a gasp and a heavy thud. Turning back at the shelter, he first noticed the Marines aiming their weapons with disbelief, he then looked at the shelter and his eyes widened with shock.

Marcus was pinned to the ground by a large, red and white reptilian creature, growling savagely at them. The creature's scales were red with the only exception on its torso which was white. It had black markings on its body and face, most of them looked like a hazard sign. The reptile had golden feral eyes, a large ferocious maw with sharp, deadly teeth and strangely adorable bat wings for ears. It had a thick scaly tail and sharp claws on its hands and feet. The creature was hunched over the pinned Marine in a way that showed it was ready to pounce to another Marine if threatened.

"Staff Sergeant...What the fuck should we do?" Asked Smith nervously and worryingly.

"Just hold your fire, don't shoot until I say so," He instructed calmly while eyeing the creature closely.

"Is that the enemy?" Asked Lance Corporal Alex Winters, his M27IAR trained on the creature's head. "I have clear sight at its head, Staff Sergeant, I can put a bullet to its brains," He informed Raymond while aiming down through the ACOG, eager to pull the trigger.

"Not yet..." He dismissed firmly before taking slow footsteps towards it.

"The fuck?" Commented Smith.

"Just fucking kill it, Sarge!" Begged Marcus fearfully.

After closing a small gap between him and the creature, Raymond laid out his left hand while the other was grasping his M9 sidearm on his thigh holster. The saurian creature backed away while growling aggresively, holding Marcus with more pressure.

"Fuck! You are going to get me killed!" Swore Marcus, losing his calm attitude and confidence.

"I will shoot you if you don't shut the fuck up!" Raymond scolded before fully facing the creature, staring in its golden yellow eyes, "Easy there, bud, I promise we won't harm you if you let my Marine go and explain yourself," The fire team looked at him in bewilderment, "We can settle this peacefully-"

"We're wasting time, sir," Smith spoke up abruptly, not caring for hiearchy protocols, he was more concerned for his fellow Marine.

"I know for a fact you're a Digimon, am I right?" Raymond stated with certainty, which only gave more confusion to the fire team.

"A what-now?!" Marcus asked incredelously, "You've got to be kidding me!"

By a miracle, the creature nodded, understanding the human to let go of its captive, who crawled back to his teammates in panic, scared for his life. Then it fully stood up, a head taller than Raymond.

"I mean no harm, so please don't shoot," It spoke in a masculine voice, though filled with some resentment. Marcus had his jaw dropped in disbelief, so was the rest of the fire team. "My name is Guilmon, by the way," It said surprisingly politely.

"Okay, Guilmon, I want you to follow closely behind me, for your safety," Instructed Raymond while he ordered the team to join up with the rest of the squad.

Fortunately he didn't have to explain himself to the rest of the squad since all of them witnessed the scene. They all backed away from him, intimidated by the dinosaur-like creature. Dukeman was the only one who dared to step up and protest.

"What the fuck is this, Stephen?!" He asked angrily, dropping the formalities, "How do you think the LT is going to react to this?! Heck even the skipper?! Are you out of your Goddamn mind?"

"Relax, he's not hostile," Raymond reassured him cooly.

"How the fuck do you know that? Didn't you know that we're at war against this...this thing!" Countered Dukeman, glaring at Guilmon.

"If he was hostile, he could've roasted us and chewed Marcus's throat in a second," Marcus winced and unconsciously rubbed his precious throat, "As for the Lieutenant, you let me handle that, besides he could be useful in combat,"

Giving up, Dukeman sighed in defeat and reassured his Marines that the Staff Sergeant was right, though with regret.

"If anything goes wrong, I'm blaming you," He warned Raymond, glancing one last time at Guilmon before leading his Marines back to the ancient monument.

Guilmon shyly poked Raymond's right shoulder, "Hey...uh, thanks for saving my butt just then,"

"Don't mention it, I'm just surprised that I can meet a real-life Digimon, I must be dreaming or something," He chuckled lightly before following the squad, "So do you have a tamer or something?"

"Actually yes..."

Richards let out a frustrated sigh after yelling at his Marines to stand ground and listening to Raymond's reasoning behind 'adopting' the red creature into the platoon, _his_ platoon. He rubbed his forehead as a headache appeared suddenly. He is going to have to explain all of it to the higher ups sooner or later. He just hoped to be dead before that could happen. He ordered Raymond and the digimon to follow him in the ancient Japanese structure to talk with them privately.

"Okay, Stephen, give me one reason why I should not put a bullet through his skull right now, make it quick because we're losing time," He demanded sternly as he stares at Guilmon coldly, making the digimon cower behind Raymond.

"He could be useful. His scales are tough and he could give us an advantage over the enemy and if he is reunited with his tamer then he can digivolve to be even stronger," Raymond explained with a hint of childish excitement.

"How the fuck do you know all of this? How can you be so sure?" Asked Richards, intrigued and surprised of his 2IC's knowledge of the "enemy".

"I used to play the card game and watched the anime when I was younger," He told him sincerely, "Maybe I should get back to it now that I mention it..." He added under his breath.

Deadpanned, Richards let out another sigh before facing Guilmon, who was still intimidated by him. _"Good, at least he'll listen,"_ He thought.

"So, you're a digimon and you have a tamer?" Guilmon nodded nervously, "Do you know where he lives?"

"At a bakery not far from here..."

"Okay, listen, lizard, and you better listen to me attentively," Guilmon nodded once again, "Right now, you're in a warzone with us. Civilians are evacuating the area so there is a high chance that your tamer is out of there," He stated firmly, leaving no room for discussion, "So for the time being, _you_ will follow to MY commands and to those of the Staff Sergeant's, you are in MY platoon and you will do as you are told to do as well. If you do not meet my expectations, I will eliminate you myself. Am I clear?" He demanded with a cold and stern tone.

"Y-yes sir..." Guilmon replied nervously.

"Good, you better be," Richards then turned to Raymond, "He's your responsibility now,"

The three of them walked out of the building and headed back to the French Garden for Richards and Raymond to report to the captain of their new "friend".

* * *

Setting foot in the neighbourhood, Itami had to halt his unit as he catches his breath and check the map for directions. His troops formed a school circle around him, Tomita and Kuribayashi. While the two males were discussing about their actual position on the map with uncertainty, the petite brunette was getting impatient, tapping her left foot on the pavement furiously. Seconds later she lost her temper and growled as she ripped the map away from their hands and showed them their exact and correct position on the map.

"We're here for God's sake! Learn how to use a map properly!" She scolded at them angrily, "We're wasting time here! People are dying and all you do now lieutenant is asking for the map every five damn minutes!"

"Eh, sorry, Kuribayashi but I'm more used to the natural jungles than the urban one," Itami admitted sheepishly.

"What?!"

"Didn't you know? He's a Ranger," Tomita told her as a matter-of-fact.

"EH?! A Ranger? HIM?!" She gasped in shock and disbelief. _"How can an incompetent officer like him be a Ranger?"_ She thought to herself, not believing reality right now.

"Hey, Tomita, I wish you would restrict yourself for saying that, I hate having eyes staring at me," Itami asked of him with a carefree tone.

Just when Kuribayashi was about to argue more, the unit heard the sound of wheels at the end of the street. The steering of wheels echoed eerily before a Humvee showed up. Following behind the first vehicle was a row of different armoured vehicles, consisting of: two other Humvees, two AAVP-7A1, a LAV-25A2, a Komatsu LAV and two Toyota Type 73 medium trucks. Itami did the first thing in his mind: he got ahead of his unit and waved his arms around in front of the small convoy and shouting them to stop.

The lead Humvee halted abruptly a few dozen meters away and a soldier in woodland MARPAT camo came out. The U.S Marine scolded him in English, which Itami tried to explain himself and apologized. With the language barrier bothering them, the Marine raised his left hand, signaling him to wait before he shouted a name back at the convoy. Another Marine ran beside him moments later and the two whispered for awhile before the other Marine spoke in fluent Japanese.

"What unit are you from?"

"I'm Second Lieutenant Youji Itami, Bravo Company, 36th IR, 3rd Division," After another talk with the first Marine, the interpreter asked him where his unit is heading to. "NishiShinjuku,"

Another moment of talk between the two Marines before the interpreter replied with: "Sorry, dude, we're heading to Kagurazaka, there are still civilians up there."

"That's okay, can we come with you?" He begged, earning him surprised looks from his soldiers.

"Sir, what are you doing? That's going to be a long detour for us!" Tomita reminded him with a hushed whisper.

"I know but at least we'll save more time than going on foot," Itami countered with a reasonable point, so he thought.

"Fine, get in the AAV," The first Marine said in English while pointing at one of the two massive armoured vehicles.

Itami bowed thankfully and instructed his troops to board in the vehicle of the convoy. As they did so, Kuribayashi took a glance at the first Marine. He was easily taller than her, sturdier than Itami but not as much as Tomita. At the same time the Marine glanced at her and their eyes met for a brief second, their matching dark brown eyes stared at each other in that moment before Kuribayashi joined with the others.

The unit was shocked to see a creature in the AAV, sitting nervously between two Marines. The digimon and JSDF soldiers stared at each other before they boarded in cautiously. Fortunately, the Marines were constantly eyeing the red digimon, hands firmly grasping their rifles, ready to shoot if it moved the slightless. As the AAV's rear compartment ramp closed up, the creature coughed awkwardly and smiled toothly while waving at them shyly.

"H-hey... I'm Guilmon," It introduced itself in clear and fluent Japanese.

The others just stared at him in silence. Guilmon sighed in defeat and stared at his feet in embarrassment. Meanwhile with Raymond, as he got in the Humvee, the driver, Private First Class Larry Brook asked him about the stare with the Japanese soldier he had moments ago.

"I don't know but she seemed kinda cute," The Staff Sergeant noted casually, making the other Marine laugh in response as the convoy moved forwards.

* * *

The streets outside his home was eerily quiet and the air was still, except for the low muffled sound of firefights and explosions happening in the distance. The TV in the living room was on the whole time, the news broadcaster's nervous voice echoed in the small living apartment. His parents were busy packing up, minimum necessities only while he was in his bedroom, rucksack ready to go but he was worried. Going back and forth with worry written all over his face.

The teenager had long and messy light brown hair with a pair of yellow goggles resting on his forehead. His light brown eyes stared nervously at the ground, wishing for his partner to come back soon. The boy wore a gray t-shirt with simple yet artistic black designs on it, marine blue cargo pants and red and white sneakers.

"Momentai, Takato," Chimed a small voice, "Guilmon will be here soon,"

"Yeah, you should stop worry about him," Said another, male, voice, interrupting his train of thoughts.

Sitting on his bed was his best friend and fellow digimon tamer, Henry Wong. He had short black hair, dark brown eyes and tanned skin. The teenager simply wore a black t-shirt and gray jeans with black tracking shoes. On top of his head laid a small white and green, a mix between a dog and a rabbit-like creature, its long ears rested on Henry's head lazily. Terriermon had a sheepish smile on his small face, enjoying his tamer's soft hair.

Takato was about to retort when his mom called for him urgently. "Takato, grab your things! We're going now!" His mother, Yoshie Matsuki, walked to his bedroom, her shoulder lenght chestnut hair was a mess due to the combination of stress and her constant state of worry. The woman looked at Henry concernly, "Henry, dear, are you sure your family is okay?" She asked concernly.

"Yes, ma'am, I just got confirmation from my mom that they are in a military zone at the garden." He answered calmly, despite the situation, "However, I think they forgot to bring some of my stuff, now that I think about it," He added sheepishly.

"Oh thank goodness! We're moving as soon as a military convoy comes in the neighbourhood," She informed the two boys before running back in the master bedroom, searching for her ID card with her husband.

Takato took his rucksack and with Henry and Terriermon, they went downstairs in the bakery and waited there patiently. The firefights outside their shelter seemed to get closer as it intensified. Fortunately most of their friends and family relatives were in safezones, heavily guarded by soldiers and hopefully evacuated out of the fighting.

The TV in the living room became static, presumably because of the fighting going on. This has been quite a frightening day for everyone. As his parents went downstairs with their own luggages, Terriermon's ears twitched as he heard faintly cars moving in their direction.

"Someone's coming!" He warned loudly and everyone in the bakery hurried out the door.

Several seconds later, they spotted a military car on their street, then followed by eight other vehicles. Relief ran through them as they took their belongings and went outside the bakery, Takato and his father, Takehiro, yelled and waved their arms at the convoy. The lead vehicle stopped and several soldiers in woodland digital patterned uniforms came out, weapons up and scanning the area around them while two other soldiers walked calmly at them. One of them spoke up, introducing them as U.S Marines and they would like to check their ID cards. Takehiro obeyed and show everyone's ID, except for Henry, who explained was his son's friend. Nevertheless, the Marines accepted him and gestured the family to head in one of the larger and more armoured vehicles.

"Thank God for these Americans to be here," Yoshie stated with relief, "But aren't Marines suppose to be in Okinawa?" Her husband simply shrugged in response as they reached one of the armoured vehicle.

In it were several JSDF soldiers who glanced at them or waved at them in a friendly manner. However one passenger was glad to see Takato.

"Guilmon!"

"Takato!"

Without warning, the digimon sprung out of his seat, accidentally stepping and pushing the soldiers away and hugged his human friend dearly.

"I'm so glad to see again! These soldiers are quite mean to me!" Guilmon complained while holding the boy dearly. He then hugged Takato's parents which they all returned happily.

Meanwhile some Marines got around them and pointed their rifles at Guilmon and shouting angrily at him. Takato and his family and friend instantly surrounded Guilmon and got in their way. It took several tense seconds before the same Marine they met stopped them and barked orders at them.

"Jesus Christ! He's friendly for fuck's sake!" Raymond scolded at his Marines before he turned to the civilians and apologized.

Once again relieved and glad for his intervention, the civilians got in the AAV, Guilmon explained to them happily about the particular Marine who saved him and befriended him. At least there was someone they can now trust.

Raymond got back in the lead Humvee with a scowl. "Jesus... that could have been a bloodbath..." He muttered before receiving a call on the radio, "This is Echo 1-1, receiving you loud and clear, send it,"

 _"Alright, change of order, we're going to the Metropolitan Government Building, I've marked the location on the GPS. It's another civilian exfil but apparently they're VIPs to the JSDF, so let's hurry up and get them out of there,"_ Informed Richards to the rest of the platoon.

"Roger that," Raymond hooked the handheld radio back to the main radio, "You know where that is?" He asked the driver.

"Yep but it is one long detour, it is right at the otherside of the ward, Staff Sergeant,"

"How long will it take us?"

"About twenty minutes if there is absolutely nothing blocking us," Brook confirmed before he started the engine and began steering the vehicle to the side.

"Then let's make this quick and hope for the best," Raymond stated with dread.

* * *

The objective to contain the threat in Ginza District has been a failure. Enemy forces are quickly spreading across Tokyo, taking ground at a rapid pace. A regiment of the Ground Self-Defense Force is currently holding the Imperial Palace, Odaiba was reported to be under attack and Japanese Intelligence reported that the enemy was advancing towards Evac Site Foxtrot (The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden). Every army in Japan is currently being pulled to Tokyo while Marines in Okinawa are being called in with U.S Army Cavalry and Infantry units from the USFJ. The U.S Seventh Fleet are sending reinforcements, supplies and air support to all forces. Additional reinforcements are in route in the forms of U.S paratroopers and special operations forces.

Thousands of civilians waited anxiously in the French, English and Japanese Garden as dozens of transport helicopters flew in and out of the evac site, taking as many civilians as they possibly can. For Captain James Clark, Company Commander of Echo Company, it unnerved him. The firefights were getting closer and there were still too many civilians. He did received additional forces from the JSDF but he felt they won't hold on much against their enemy, the "Digimon" as they are now identified as.

The JASDF did their best to basically carpet bomb them to hell with everything they've got but it wasn't enough to halt their advance. Casualties were rising faster than they could receive help. Time was against them, even with air superiority.

The park had been heavily fortified for the past two hours. Sandbags and Hesco barriers surrounded a good chunk of the park, guarded by heavy machine gun emplacements, fox holes, mortar teams, sniper teams, battle tanks and APCs. Attack jets and helicopters regularly flew passed the makeshift headquarters, which was the greenhouse, striking the enemy with showers of missiles, rockets and hot lead. Thankfully, with the initial fog cleared up, drones were able to pinpoint with ease enemy movements.

Observing the map on the table, it frightened him to see that the enemy was eating whole districts of Tokyo at a horrifying speed. Every two minutes, a Marine personnel would update the map: green zones marked friendlies while the red designated the enemy; the red mass kept creeping closer to them as it swallowed in the green zones. At this point, he wished the President would simply nuke the city to hell.

All of the sudden, loud and earth shaking explosions vibrated violently the greenhouse. A worried Marine came in with a radio in head.

"Sir, hostiles have breached Whiskey line, JSDF are falling back to here!"

"What?!" Clark exclaimed in frustration while some of the Marines paled with fear, "Aren't they supposed to retreat back to Sword line?"

"Most of the regiment has been completely wiped out, sir. There is barely two hundred men standing still,"

"Goddamnit! Lieutenant, how much time do we have to hold the line?" He asked the officer behind him.

"Twenty minutes, sir, if eveything goes to plan," The officer answered nervously.

"We do not have twenty minutes, get me every goddamn bird in this damn city ASAP! Tell them that thousands of civilians are at risk here if they do not move their asses quick enough!"

The headquarters personnel got back to their tasks immediately, operating as quickly and effectively as possible. Thousands of lives are at stake here and they must save the most of it.

* * *

"Let's go! Hurry up!" Shouted Raymond at their newly found civilians at a nearby park.

The new group of civies consisted mostly of women and girls, however a civilian was once again a surprise for the Marines who found them. It was yet again another Digimon and Raymond instantly recognized it. It was a Renamon, a fierce and renown Digimon. It was a bipedal yellow and white fox. It had black eyes with icy blue irises and pupils, giving a terrifying and cold look to the Marines and Japanese soldiers. Under its eyes were light purple markings and spiral markings of the same colour shade on both of its thick thighs. The digimon wore over its white furry forearms purple gauntlets with a yin-yang symbol on them. It had a furry white mane to its neck level, covering its upper white torso and had yellow fur sticking out of its shoulders. The Renamon had three large fluffy fingers with sharp claws at the end on each hand and strong white legs with the same features as her hands. Finally it had a long and smooth white-tipped tail that swayed casually yet gracefully on its own.

The Marines stared at her -"gender" told by Guilmon- either in intimidation or in curiousity and awe. Following such fierce and cold creature was her tamer of equal personality. The teenage girl was Rika Nonaka, daughter of a fashion model and renown Digimon card player, officially crowned as "the Queen of Digimon". The red-headed girl had the same icy blue eyes as her digimon. She wore over her light green t-shirt a black sleeveless jacket, a red scarf around her neck, blue jeans and red white-tipped sneakers.

The second group of five women and girls got in the second AAV with four Marines as their guards. Once everyone was in their vehicles and ready to go, the convoy head straight for the Metropolitan Government Building. During the trip, the Marines in the second AAV stared at Renamon, who merely stared back, sending them an uneasy aura.

 _"Echo Actual, this is Echo 1-Actual, how copy?"_ Richards radioed in to command, _"Echo Actual, do you receive me? Over,"_ Static noises echoed in each radio of the convoy, _"I repeat: Echo Actual, this is Echo 1-Actual, do you copy? Over,"_ There was still silence on the other end.

"This is bad," Noted Raymond, "We haven't received any reports from CHQ, this is really bad,"

The convoy made its way to the objective point through the empty and quiet streets of Tokyo. Intense explosions and firefights could be heard throughout the urban jungle, it set the Marines on edge, gripping their rifles strongly while scanning their surrounding meticulously, getting impatient as they expect an ambush coming up anytime soon but nothing happened so far. No shots were fired, no vehicles got blown up, nothing.

"To all units, I've got eyes on the objective building. Be prepared to disembark and set a defensive perimeter. We should hold out in ten mikes top. Quick exfil and evac this time," Raymond reported dutifully, "First squad on me,"

 _"Copy that, Echo 1-1,"_ Sergeant Dukeman replied on the radio.

When the convoy halted in front of the Metropolitan Government Building, the Marines and Third Recon Team disembark from the vehicles and did as instructed; First Squad and a couple of Itami's soldiers went in the prefecture building while the rest of the platoon set up a defensive perimeter, the two AAVs and medium trucks were parked closer to the building, shielded by the Humvees and LAVs.

Itami, Tomita, Kuribayashi and Kurata were jogging ahead of the Marine squad. Once they entered the building, Itami ordered Kurata to search for their VIP in the reception office's computer. After some quick search on the computer's records, Kurata successfully found Hypnos's office floor.

"Fortieth floor, sir!"

"Let's go! Fortieth Floor!" Itami informed the Marines.

The group of soldiers and Marines headed straight for the elevator. Itami pressed the correct floor button and they all stood silently in the thight space, the cheery elevator tune made some of the Marines giggle.

During the uncomfortable trip upwards, Raymond was at the back of the elevator, standing closely next to the petite woman he met minutes ago. In front of them was the sturdy giant known as Tomita and the laid back officer Itami. Raymond peeked a glance at Kuribayashi, she had a few strands of her dark natural brown hair that stuck out of her helmet and hung dully on her face, covering a little bit her right eye. Her attempt on brushing them aside was cute to Raymond as he felt his cheeks heat up.

Kuribayashi glanced back at the Marine and their eyes met once again, only this time the stare lasted longer. Without his black combat shades on, his friendly small smile made her lips quiver by accident. She blushed and looked away for a second before staring back at him. The two smiled awkwardly and unknowingly blushed at the same time. Itami noticed them at the corner of his vision and stiffled a laugh. He silently whispered to Tomita, who looked back and shook his head with a smile. Itami looked back at Kuribayashi and winked at her. She glared back at Itami before she nervously chuckled to herself when Raymond looked between the two curiously. She found the American soldier handsome and adorable at that moment.

When they've reached the floor, the elevator abruptly stopped, its passengers jumped up by the sudden stop. Kuribayashi lost her footing due to restricted space and almost fell on Itami when Raymond caught her almost instantly. He had one arm around her shoulder, pulling her back, while the other gently pressed against her body armour at the front. She let a gasp before shyly thanking the Marine, cursing herself inwardly for feeling embarrassed.

The soldiers got out, rifles brandished and scouting for targets. Passing the numerous office cubicles, Itami called out several times the VIP's name: Yamaki.

Already seven minutes have passed and the Marines were getting impatient. Raymond had to call Richards and explained to him to hold two more minutes, which he wasn't too happy to hear about. At the other end of the office floor was another pair of elevators. One of them let out a 'ding' happily, signifying someone else has reached this floor. The two teams got around the specific elevator and raised their weapons. When the elevator door opened, there was a single security guard in light body armour humming to a tune. He stared out and paled. He was about to close the elevator but Raymond was fast enough to roughly grab him by the armour's shoulder straps and yanked him strongly out of the elevator, tossing him against the dark gray wall.

"Son of a bitch!" He exclaimed furiously and grabbed him by his shirt collar, lifting him up while pointing his M9 pistol under his chin. "Make it quick, Itami!" He said in Japanese.

Itami stood next the Marine and demanded sternly answers from the security agent. There was a short argument between the two before he told the truth.

"He's at the forty sixth floor, in the computer server room," He told Raymond unsurely.

"He's coming with us, bind him," Raymond instructed to Dukeman, who willingly obliged.

Reaching the forty sixth floor, the Marines were the first ones out into the empty and bland hallway. The walls and ceiling were bland white while the carpet floor was a shade of dark blue with small "colourful" dots scattered everywhere. At the end of the hallway was a pair of doors, a red sign that read "Restricted Area" was above the door frame. The Marines stacked on both sides of the doors, ready to breach in. Raymond, who was still holding the security guard, forcefully kicked the doors open and tossed him inside while the squad rushed in.

The room they were in was larger than expected, the soldiers had their jaws dropped in bewilderment. The room was dimly lit by dozens of computers and blinking screens that were displayed on the walls and oval ceiling. At the center of this mysterious room was a tall and strange looking machine with two pilot seats with computers and wires connected to them with the strange machine. At certain corners of the room were tall and robust looking computer servers, these were the same large servers used by the U.S military and the C.I.A. The Marines were no stranger to these massive beasts of machines but finding them in a civilian prefecture building intrigued them.

Next the machine was a group of a dozen employees, all of them stopped what they were doing and looked at the soldiers with worry. One of them however stepped up to them. He was a blonde man, wearing a black business suit and dark shades. The man lifted his hands up and calmly walked up to Itami.

"Mister Yamaki, correct?" The officer asked, to which the man nodded in response,"Sir, we need to take you and your employees out of here now. A helicopter is waiting for you at an evac site," He informed him urgently.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but my work here is not done," Yamaki explained indifferently, "I can still save Tokyo if you leave me and my team time to fix this,"

"Eh?!"

Raymond started to lose his patience as he watches Itami and Tomita arguing with the civilian, their VIP who seemed to refuse to leave his post. The bonus two minute mark was up and Raymond decided to use brute force, he will get some backlash but time is of the essence. He roughly grabbed Yamaki by his deep crimson tie, pulling him hard and close to him; the brute action made his shades thrown out of its place and broke into pieces unintentionaly by its owner.

"You better listen to me, pal. Men are dying out there just so we can get your sorry ass out of here! I don't care if you can "save" this city, right now the enemy is right by our door step and we're losing precious time! Not only that but I have civilians on board that needed to be evacuated, stalling here will cost their lives. Now hurry the FUCK UP!"

With that said, Raymond threw Yamaki on the floor and yelled at his employees.

"Everyone out of the room, NOW!" They seemed to understand English perfectly as they hurriedly ran out of the room, escorted by the Marines.

Tomita and Kuribayashi lifted Yamaki back of his feet before he aggressively protested and slapped their arms away from him. He brushed his suit and huffed angrily before he was escorted by the two JSDF soldiers with Itami at the lead.

* * *

The two Marines stood watch out of the AAV's rear ramp, their forms relaxed. Takato took the opportunity to sit next to Guilmon and chat with him a little bit, a way to escape the dire situation they were currently in. Helicopters and jets flew above the convoy, the civilians looked up with either amazement or apprehension, the aircrafts launched their bombs and missiles into the streets, a few hundred meters away from them, the enemy was closing in on them. Coincidently, the sky darkened, turning into a dark shade of grey. The air was heavy for the civilians and soldiers of the convoy, fear installed in some of the women and girls in the group, and Rika was no exception. The red-headed teenager instinctively held gently on Renamon's paw, a little bit scared of their situation. The vixen could see it in her eyes but she decided to not speak about it and comforted her by lightly squeezing her small human hand. Rika gazed at her partner and gratefully smiled, a bit reassured now.

"This stays between us..." She whispered shyly. Renamon nodded with a small content smile.

"Everything's going to be fine, I promise," Renamon whispered back.

Her ears twitched as she faintly sensed nearby Digimon. At the same time, the human soldiers got agitated. One of them started to bark orders as they hurriedly got into firing stances, rifles drawn up while the turret guns on the vehicles scanned their surroundings.

"VIPs are here! Get ready, Marines!" Richards ordered them loudly upon spotting the other group approaching them. "Start the engines! We're moving out in two minutes," He then radioed in the Company's headquarters, "Echo-Actual, this is Echo 1-Actual, we have civilians and VIPs on board with us, we're inbound to your position in fifteen mikes, how copy? Over,"

There was no response, only white static noise came as a reply, "Echo-Actual, this is Echo 1-Actual, we have civilians on board with us, is the evac site safe? Over," Still no response.

"What's the sitrep, lieutenant?" Asked Raymond once every civilian was safely in the vehicles.

"I still can't get through them..." Richards answered concernly.

"Brook! Try to get comms with the CO on your radio!" The Private First Class gave a thumbs up in response and checked the radio in the Humvee.

"Can't get through either, Staff Sergeant!"

"Itami!" The JSDF officer turned curiously at Raymond, "Can you get any signals with your CO?" It took a few moments for Itami to understand him and after some quick calls, he shook his head in denial, "What do we do, sir?"

"Hey, Staff Sergeant!" Called out Sergeant Owen Steele from the first AAV, "Guilmon is getting aggressive over here! He said something is coming here! He's growling now!"

Suddenly a shot snapped through the air, a red projectile barely struck a Marine by the head."Fuck! Contact to our right! Three hundred meters at the traffic lights!" Brook shouted before the Browning fifty caliber machine gun opened fire with several rifles joining the fray.

At the end of the street, Raymond spotted a large group of hostile digimon marching towards them. They seemed to be well trained as they moved from cover to cover and shooting back.

"Light 'em up, Marines! Let them eat it!" Raymond shouted as the entire platoon and Third Recon Team returned fire.

Bullets flew between the two forces, the humans were more accurate and managed to take out a small quantity of hostile foot mobiles. In addition to their rifles and machine guns, the two AAVs fired their Mk 19 grenade machine gun and the LAV-25 sent powerful 25mm rounds from the chain gun while the two M240 machine guns lit up, spewing 7.62mm rounds. The humans had the advantage of superior firepower, however they were greatly outnumbered.

Another hostile force came from the street to their left. The humans were fortunate to have abandonned civilian cars as cover but the vehicles were quickly destroyed by the overwhelming enemy fire.

"Ah fuck! Corpsman!" Shouted a Marine from the back of the convoy.

Navy Corpsman Thomas Waltz ran to the second AAV, the wounded Marine had a bullet hole on his left thigh and a severe burn on his forehead, his helmet destroyed in two mangled pieces.

"Shit! Marines, get to the vehicles! We're falling back!" Richards ordered as the Marines at the forefront of the convoy slowly backed away and into their vehicles. The three APCs and LAVs provided sufficient cover fire.

"Where are we going, sir?" Raymond asked with uncertainty while ducking his head as bullets whizzed and snapped near the Humvee.

 _"We're moving up towards Ochiai Central Park. I'll try to get CASEVAC over there,"_ Replied Richards through the radio.

The convoy veered backwards and out of the Metropolitan Government Building. Humvee turret gunners fired back, pinning the enemy down to assure the convoy a safe escape or at least to put some distance between them. The LAV-25 was now at the lead, ramming and pushing away the abandonned vehicles that blocked their path.

 _"To any station, this is Echo 1-Actual, I'm requesting a CASEVAC on my location, we have about twenty five civilians and a wounded on board with us, we're Oscar-Mike to Ochiai Central Park, ETA 13 Mikes. Over,"_

 _"Echo 1-Actual, this is Oddball 2-1, we-* **static** * be aware that-* **static** *-how copy?"_

 _"Oddball 2-1, can you repeat that, I'm having some interference on the line,"_

 _"* **Static** * ETA 10 Mikes, we will stay two mikes longer-* **static** *- we will leave with or without you,"_

 _"Negative, we have civilians and VIPs on board-"_

 _"Can't stay lon-* **static** * Bombs will -* **static** * **static** *"_

During the exchange, Raymond was starting to hate the mess they were in now. Aircrafts were still operating above them yet he sensed that their efforts were futile. This was like a typical alien invasion movie. At that thought, he chuckled grimly.

The convoy made a quick turn towards the nearest bridge, crossing Kanda River and took the road that followed the river. Firefights still echoed in the distance, Richards tried to contact any U.S unit in the area but abandonned shortly after, assuming the worst has happened. Now he needs to worry about his Marines and the civilians. The sky was still grey as late afternoon came, thick black smokes rose to the air, flames could be seen in the urban "jungle" of Tokyo.

Inside the second AAV, named "Growler", Thomas tended to his patient carefully and attentively. The wounded laid between the seats, bandaged up and induced with a shot of morphine, resting his eyes. The vehicle's radio buzzed to life loudly, catching everyone's attention as the voice of the Staff Sergeant spoke out.

 _"Marines, we should arrive at the evac site in eight minutes. I know this has been quite frustrating for you all but we will return here and kick their asses,"_ The Marines in the AAV replied with a "oorah" at that statement, _"Once we reach the evac site, disembark and form up a firing perimeter. Three helos should be there by the time we arrive. Retreat Hell,"_ The radio went silent for a bit before Raymond spoke up but this time adressing to the civilians, _"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Staff Sergeant Raymond of the U.S.M.C, we will arrive at Ochiai Central Park where helicopters await you for evacuation. This will be all over soon, be brave and have hope, thank you. We promise to get all of you out of this safe and sound, it is our duty and we will give our lives to assure your safety,"_

"What was that all about, Staff Sergeant?" Brook asked with a smug grin while keeping his eyes on the road.

"Just some reassuring words for the civilians, Larry," He sighed tiredly, "Who would've thought that escorting civilians will be so tiring..." He commented with a tired chuckle.

Three U.S Army BlackHawk helicopters flew above them, heading towards their designated LZ in the central park. Raymond noticed that the helicopters were landing on the baseball field. He was about to suggest the Lieutenant to break through the linked metal fence but the LAV-25 ahead of him made that action. Making a hard turn left then right, the light armoured vehicle rammed straight through the fence, crushing it under its massive wheels and making an easy and direct access point for the other vehicles.

Dispersing to form a semi-circle, the Marines and JSDF soldiers first disembarked from the vehicles before they regroup the civilians behind the convoy. A helicopter crewman jumped out and jogged towards Richards urgently.

"I'm taking the VIPs and the wounded!" He shouted at him, the minor dirt tornado and the rotorblades deafened the air near them.

"Okay!" Richards pointed at the VIPs and Thomas then at the crewman.

The designated people followed him while Itami escorted the rest of the civilians to the second and third helicopters. The first BlackHawk slowly ascended however the second was still on the ground while the third was still loading in civilians, this made Richards and Raymond worry. The platoon commander sent him to investigate what was going on.

When Staff Sergeant Raymond joined Itami, he notices that he was arguing with the pilots and crewmen agitatedly.

"No! We can't and we won't let them in!" One of the pilots shouted in refusal as he points at the three digimon and their tamers. Takato's and Rika's parents were abput to leave the helicopter to let the children in but were held back by one of the crew gunners. It was chaotic to say the least.

"For fuck sake! They're civilians! Let them in!" Raymond scolded the pilots.

"No, they're the enemy, we better shoot them while we can!"

All of the sudden a large explosion was erupted a few dozen meters behind them. Just on the street, dozens of hostiles opened fire, trying to take down the two grounded helos. Bullets snapped near them, some grazed the metalic black bird.

"Fuck it! GO!" He shouted before ducking and dragging the children back to the convoy on the spur-of-the-moment.

Admist the confusion, the soldiers fired back while the second helicopter was off ground, tilting its nose towards a safe zone, barely dodging a rocket passing by. The third one barely made it out of the firefight in one piece, black smoke started to form behind its tail.

"Stay down!" He ordered the children and digimon sternly, hiding them behind a Humvee. He ran across the line of vehicles and joined with Richards, "We still have three kids and three digimon with us!"

"What?! You were suppose to solve the problem! Not make it worst!"

"Spur-of-the-moment thing," Raymond simply replied before firing a couple of bursts at the enemy.

"Yeah right, my ass!" William retorted angrily, "Alright then, show me what these creatures are capable of," He suggested half-jokingly, half-desperately.

"Okay, just give them an opportunity," Raymond stated and ran back to the other side of the convoy.

"W-wait- I was just fucking kidding! Goddamnit!"

Marines and Japanese troopers took cover behind the convoy. Bullets zipped across the grass field, empty brass cases fell on the ground, knocking on others to create soft melodies in the cacophony of rifles, machine guns and whatever the enemy had to shoot at them. Dirt shot upwards by poorly aimed bullets or thrown frag grenades. The armoured vehicles gave off metallic 'pings' as they were harmlessly struck by hostile projectiles.

Then, men were dropping on the grass, blood has been spilled. Wounded started to rise while ammo was decreasing faster than expected. Mari Kurokawa and Thomas Waltz worked to their fullest to drag, attend and bandage up their patients before moving to the next one.

"Staff Sergeant! We need to get the fuck outta here!" Waltz pleaded urgently.

"Working on it!" He yelled back.

The corpsman was undermanned with the amount of wounded to care while bravely dodging enemy fire, if that was even possible. He then looked at the digimon hiding behind the Humvee, they seemed calm compared to their tamers.

"Hey you two over there!" He pointed at Renamon and Guilmon, "Help me out!"

They silently nodded and sprung to action. Guilmon provided cover fire for Renamon, launching his "Pyro-Sphere" attack while enemy bullet harmlessly bounced off his robust scales. Renamon was next the medic in the blink of an eye, which startled him for a moment but he focuses back on his task, he would question reality later.

"Get them behind the amtracks, alright? It's those big vehicles!" He instructed her loudly, "Mari, we're moving now!" He informed the other medic.

"ARGH!" PFC. Adrian Tombles, manning the fifty caliber on the second Humvee, screamed as intense heat struck him through his chest, crushing and burning a chunk of the ribcage to pieces and ash, "Fucking Christ! Corpsman!" He yelled from inside the transport.

Hearing his cry for help, Guilmon ripped apart the Humvee's passenger door and dragged him out by the plate carrier with his maw. Guilmon growled with effort as he pulled the sixty plus kilograms Marine in full combat gear, weighing at total more than a hundred kilos.

Once out, he carried the wounded over his shoulders and sprinted effortlessly towards one of the AAVs. Brook took cover behind a Humvee and he stared at Guilmon in surprise after the digimon gently dropped the other Marine on the ground. A projectile struck Guilmon's cheek, the force made his head jerk to the side but other than that, he was completely fine, just more pissed off now.

"Marines! Fall back! Fall back!" Richards ordered as they slowly backed away from their frontline. The vehicles roared to life and desperately tried to veer away from the firefight, receiving multiple bullets at the sides and rear. The Humvees and the Komatsu LAV were at the very front of the defensive line, taking the brunt of the opposing firepower. The armour didn't resist much longer, peppered to bits.

"Leave the Humvees! Get the wounded in the amtracks!" Raymond shouted before chucking a smoke grenade on their position. As they begin their retreat, one of the medium trucks got hit by a rocket, blowing apart the rear, forcing the driver to leave the vehicle and supplies with it behind.

Sergeant Dukeman escorted the three teenagers to safety, using himself as a living shield and provided cover fire. Meanwhile Renamon acted on her own way to protect her tamer and friends. She was dodging attacks and vaulted from one spot to another gracefully, launching her sets of attacks, neutralising enemy soldiers in melee when some of them got too close. It seemed like a perfectly choreographed performance, jumping in the air with ease and landing on the spot smoothly. She was a complete contrast of the hectic firefight she was in, a dancer in the middle of the battlefield. Swift, graceful, beautiful and deadly.

Once the platoon and Third Recon Team was at the other side of the park, Raymond watched Renamon taking out a group of blue dinosaur-like commandos with deadly grace. He spotted a creeping digimon to her left, silently taking out a combat knife and was about to sprint and stab her if not thanks to Raymond's quick aiming. The Staff Sergeant fired three shots at center mass, all three rounds connected, piercing the digimon's body armour; the combatant fell on the field lifelessly. Renamon glanced back at him, nodding gratefully.

"No time to say thanks! Get your ass over here now!" He yelled after taking a firing stance, firing in semi-auto his M4A1 carbine.

The kitsune sprinted towards him, avoiding enemy bullets with relatively ease, she looked like she was gliding on the grass left and right. After running pass him, she tapped his shoulder, signaling him to move up. He fired a couple of shots more before turning and sprinting towards the abandonned town hall at end of the park, Renamon was leaping from tree to tree covering him from above. The LAV-25 provided cover fire for the two, after running out of ammo for the chain gun, only its two M240 machine guns pinned the enemy position.

"Hurry up! Come on!" Kuribayashi shouted at them, taking cover next the building's structural beam.

The platoon's machine gun teams were set up on the first floor, spewing out hails of hot lead above him. Raymond finally got in the ancient town hall, breathing heavily while leaning against the wall, his lungs were burning and his throat dried out. Renamon slid through the entrance door, just in time to avoid yet again a bullet. She rolled to the side and stood back up, brushing herself off before bowing to him. He simply waved his hands modestly. Kuribayashi walked up to him offering him a small water bottle.

"Daijōbudesu ka?" She asked concernly, which Raymond, understanding a little bit of Japanese, simply nodded with a small smile and took the bottle.

"Arigatō," He replied after drinking half the bottle in one go, "Here," He handed the bottle to Renamon, "Thanks for covering my back out there," He insisted after she hesitated a bit.

* * *

Gunshots echoed loudly throughout the building. The walls on the inside and outside were being peppered by bullet holes and the windows shattered by the soldiers bashing them to create another firing spot. Grenadiers used their M203 grenade launcher to fend off the attackers with a stronger punch, firing high explosive shells upon them. Explosions shook lightly the building, showering the humans in dust. Their uniforms were covered from head to toe in dust, sweat and grime. Soon, the AAVs ran out of grenades for their main guns, AT-4s and SMAWs were used against the enemy but it was clear to everyone that ammo was running very low. Fortunately, they would have a breather once their attackers started to pull back, probably regrouping for another assault. They need this time to plan a better course of action.

The Marines and soldiers of the Third Recon Team were gathered in one of the offices at the back of the building, discussing for their next move. The civilians and their digimon were safely moved in the room next to their's. Tomita displayed the map of Shinjuku on the lone office desk for them to search for a better and alternative escape point.

"We have twenty minutes before evening hits so we better find our next exfil point fast," Informed Sergeant Eric Sexton, Hardcase 1's vehicle commander.

"We'll first make our move to the elementary school two klicks North from our position, we'll hold there for the rest of the night before we get out of Shinjuku," Richards stated tiredly.

"Are we leaving Shinjuku, sir?" Dukeman asked a bit surprised.

"This ward is probably lost to us, U.S forces and JGSDF are holding an F.O.B just outside, we can regroup and rearm with the others before we commence a counterattack."

"But how can you be sure, Lieutenant?" Sergeant Lukas Firimbi asked, Hardcase 2's vehicle commander, "For all we know, that F.O.B might be overtaken by the enemy. Our signals are jammed and I haven't heard any of our aircrafts lately," Some of the Marines nodded in agreement, walking right into enemy territory was also a bad idea.

"Worst case scenario: we'll call in CASEVAC, attracting everyone in the area and hold them off until it arrives," Added Sexton with dread.

"In any case, we need to get the hell out of here, period," Countered Raymond, backing Richards up.

"He's right, we're losing time here." Agreed Staff Sergeant Charlie Yurrek, the LAV's crew leader.

Walking in the discussion was Corpsman Waltz, his uniform tainted with his sweat and grime but also with blood. His blood caked hands were shaking lightly onto the piece of cloth he was holding dearly.

"Excuse me for the interruption, s-sir... but, uh, Private First Class Adrian Tombles is gone, sir..." A heavy silence filled the room, "H-he took some kind of laser bolt or some shit like that a-a-and it just burned right through his chest, cutting a major artery near the heart..." The Corpsman was on the verge of collaspe but soldiered on and saluted his platoon commander, leaving the room in silence.

The platoon's first K.I.A today. A minute of silence remained in the room. Richards then faced the silent Raymond.

"Do you think these digimons can provide us some kind of help?" Raymond, still struck by the news, perked his head towards Richards.

"Yes, sir. They can digivolve to become stronger if-"

"If?"

"If their tamers have the cards to do so," Raymond concluded pensively.

"Christ... Can you go ask them quickly?" The Second Lieutenant requested plainly.

Raymond nodded and walked out of the room and into the next one. Knocking lightly before entering, the Marine saw that the three teenagers sat against the wall next to each other, their faces expressed worry and exhaustion. When they gazed at him, he could see small glimmers of hope in their eyes. In addition, Terriermon rested on his tamer's lap, Guilmon sat next to Takato and Renamon was leaning next the door frame to his right. He gave a weak friendly smile and sat down on the solid ground in front of them.

He took off his helmet, ruffling his messy and grimey short hair and sighed. He stared at each of them, the two boys were more expressive, showing worry, while the red-headed girl seemed to hide her emotions. He looked at his wristwatch, ten minutes left, better make this quick.

"Do you have any cards that can digivolve your partners?" He asked in Japanese, though with mistakes, possibly mistaken certain words for others since he only had a crash course of the language, quite ironic for a casual anime fan.

They looked at each other in confusion, Takato stiffled a laughter from the Marine's rude way of speaking his language. Guilmon then spoke up, translating Raymond's request in Japanese clearly.

"Yes, they all have a Digivice," Guilmon said to him while they showed their "Digivices". They were ordinary looking handheld devices, ressembling more like slightly bigger Tamagotchis with only a card slot on the side as a difference. Takato then showed him his small deck of cards, sorting through them and showed him a blue card. Takato let the Marine inspect it while he explained its use. The card was entirely blue, with the Digimon Franchise logo and a black strike below it on either faces.

"This card ables us to digivolve to a better form but it requires a long recharge time between each usage," Guilmon explained before Raymond gave the card back.

Satisfied with himself, Raymond stood up, mentioning the teenagers and digimon to stand at his attention. With a confident smile he came up with a plan for their next mission. He faced the three digimon.

"Are you up to get some action?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of the prequel. Updates may be slower but I do intend on finishing this story before posting Digital Crisis 2 (already working on a couple of chapters). This story is shorter than Digital Crisis 1 but it will be filled with a lot of action of epic proportions! (okay... maybe not...). Leave a review if you want, it would be appreciated and helpful, and... _à la prochaine! :D_**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Let's move, Marines! Hustle up!" Richards instructed them as they embark in the vehicles at the back of the building.

The officer looked at the three of them, hoping this ridiculous plan his 2IC has made will work out for the best.

"Alright, do your thing, kids,"

Excited and determined, Takato, Henry and Rika, with their partners side-by-side, took out their digivices and picked the blue card. They simultaneously slashed the card into their devices and announced together proudly:

"Guilmon! Card Slash...Digivolution!"

"Renamon! Card Slash... Digivolution!"

"Terriermon! Card Slash... Digivolution!"

Blinding white light emanated from the digimon's body, engulfing them as data streams transformed them.

"Guilmon Digivolve to... Growlmon!"

"Renamon Digivolve to... Kyubimon!"

"Terriermon Digivolve to... Rapidmon!"

Fully evolving to their Champion level forms, except for Terriermon for a tactical reason, the tamers quickly got in the AAV as the convoy started to move out with the digimon escorting them from three different posts. Rapidmon, having a more lethal arsenal and the ability to fly, defended the convoy from the skies, ready to rain death from above. Kyubimon, eventhough a land creature, is the fastest of the three and the more agile, she can intercept the enemy from both sides with quick bursts of ranged attacks. And lastly was Growlmon, a big beast with tough scales and powerful area of effect attacks, was the convoy's rear guard; he could take a beating and still stand strong. With that, the convoy only needs to worry about the front.

Barely onto the street that the convoy came under attack, fortunately their armour was tough against their projectiles, for now. Growlmon spun around, using his large tail to wipe out a group of enemy soldiers against the building, the force crushed them to their doom.

"Exhaust Flame!" He unleashes a wave of scorching flames, burning the other group of enemy troops to a blazing end.

Rapidmon launched a small wave of airburst missiles, allowing Growlmon to catch-up with the convoy's rear. The AAVs' top hatches were opened, letting the Marines to set up their rifles and machine guns to fight back, green tracer rounds lit up the empty chaotic streets. From the air, Rapidmon let out barrages of homing missiles, taking out single targets with powerful anti-personnel ammunations. The cyborg digimon was starting to enjoy his little rain of death.

The convoy managed to cross the bridge. The vehicles halted, Raymond, Dukeman and Marcus got out of _"Growler"_ with a rucksack of C4 explosives. The other Marines and Kyubimon provided cover fire for the massive Growlmon. Once the red dinosaur passed the bridge, Raymond and his small team set up the charges on the bridge, planning on destroying a large strip of the structure to slow the enemy's advance. Kyubimon launched her intense blue fireballs over head the Marines, like a mortar, pounding a small number of their assailants in a fiery blue spectacle.

"Charges are up, Staff Sergeant!" Dukeman shouted before they all ran back to the _"Growler"_.

As the convoy started up, the two amtracks fired up their smoke grenades, envelopping the vehicles in a thick grey smoke cloud, covering their retreat. Raymond had the explosives' detonator, eyeing the dark skies, awaiting for Rapidmon's signal.

"Now, sir!" The digimon yelled from above, Raymond pushed the button with a satisfying grin. They've walked into their trap.

A resounding explosion shook the vehicles violently but were nonetheless fine. Those who miraculously crossed the bridge and survived the blast were eliminated by Growlmon and Kyubimon shortly after.

The plan was a success, their escape route now secured and safe for awhile. The Marines cheered and roared at their small victory, relieved to get some breathing room and live to fight another day.

First and Second squad along with a squad of the recon team disembarked at the front of the abandonned school while the vehicles gathered at the courtyard at the back through the other side of the block. Once they received the "all clear" signal from the breach and clear element, the rest of the soldiers got out and moved the civilians and wounded in the elementary school. Squads took over classrooms at the front while the non-combatants were at the back in safety. The digimon arrived a few minutes later, returning back to their prior forms exhausted, except for Renamon, who now stood guard for their classroom while the rest of the group slept.

Night time fell upon Tokyo. Strangely enough, the battle retook at that time. Firefights echoed in the distance, their intense flashes sparking from different corners of the city. The human soldiers stood guard with a two-hour rotation, enough time to rest or eat.

Raymond got out of a classroom and sat down against the wall lazily, letting a soft grunt when his rear touched the ground. The Marine took off his combat helmet and let it drop beside him, too tired to care for it. Like the others, he was covered in grime, dust and sweat. His woodland MARPAT blouse sticking uncomfortably against his dirty skin. His stomach grumbled loudly, demanding food urgently. He rummaged through his ILBE Assault Pack and found a MRE field ration. Not caring for its bland contents, he quickly heat up the bag and ate the cheese sticks to pass the time. Hunger has always been his worst enemy.

While in the empty hallway, he could hear the faint chatter of the Marines, they were idle talks or small laughter but most of the time it was quiet. The classroom in front of him was the civilians' room. The teenagers had already received their share of MREs with some of the JGSDF soldiers Kurokawa and Furuta. Since then, he haven't heard a single sound from them, probably asleep in the sleeping bags given to them by the Recon team.

Renamon quietly got out of the classroom and leaned against the wall beside it, facing the Marine with an acknowledged nod. Raymond replied with a playful salute before picking up his now cooked meal. Silence fell between the two, Raymond chewing on his meal was the only small noise produced. Renamon had her arms crossed, eventually glancing both ends of the hallway before staring at the black and whites tiles of the school. Feeling uncomfortable with this particular silence, Raymond decided to offer the digimon some of his "patriotic" cookies. After some struggle of insistence, Renamon reluctantly accepted the offer, taking the small plastic bag of treats. She let out a small giggle when inspecting it.

" "Patriotic cookies", huh?"

"Yup, the best of the best," Raymond responded jokingly.

The digimon opened it and took a handful in one go. This prompted Raymond to chuckle at the sight. "You must be really hungry..."

"I just like chocolate," She admitted meekly.

Silence befell upon them again. Minutes later and Raymond finished his meal, crackers, small pound cake and coffee, sharing some of the food with the digimon but few words were exchanged. Until Raymond decided to break it with a cough.

"So, um... how long have you known her?" He asked casually, his fingers tumbling idly.

"Almost two years now," She answered stoically, shifting her natural cold gaze back at him.

"Have you guys ever been in a fight?" She nodded, he nodded back, trying to find ways to make her talk more. "She's a brave girl... for her age, same could be said for the boys," He stated honestly, peeking at the opened classroom that showed the three sleeping tamers. "Brave kids..."

"Indeed," Renamon spoke up, "They are all my friends and I'm proud to be with them. It is my duty to protect them with my life,"

"You seemed to care about them a lot," Raymond pointed out.

"Of course, they are part of my life and I care for them. Without them, I could still be in the DigiWorld, wandering off hopelessly..." Renamon blushed upon realizing she was showing a bit too much emotion, "I want to thank you personally..." She declared after fully facing the Marine and got to her knees.

"For what?" He asked confusely. She then bowed her head graciously.

"For saving us, especially my friend Guilmon, he talked about you for quite some time. I want to thank you for accepting and protecting us, Staff Sergeant-"

"Don't," Interjected Raymond, "I'm just doing my job, so don't thank me yet," He explained bluntly, "At least wait until you're truly safe and thank the Marines and JSDF for it, not only me,"

She stayed with her head and hands on the ground for a few seconds before sitting up with hesitation, "As you wish, Staff Sergeant..." She said reluctantly, "But to be honest, you are being too modest, right now," The human soldier laughed with her at that remark.

"Raymond,"

"Sorry?"

"You can call me Raymond," He extended his right hand at her, "You're not a Marine, so you can call me by my name."

She looked between his hand and his face for awhile before extending her paw and shook his hand with a small friendly smile.

"Renamon, glad and honored to meet you,"

"Same here, ma'am," He replied cheerfully.

* * *

Early morning came, the second day of the battle began. Drips of water fell from the sky before pouring on Tokyo heavily. The rain stirred most of the soldiers in the school from their sleep. The faint chatter of some of the Marines waking up shook Renamon out of dreamland. She glanced around her lazily and shook her head to shake the sleepiness away. She stood up and looked at the Marine sleeping in front of her.

Raymond was quietly asleep. His legs spread out and apart, his hands resting on his laps and his back against the wall while his rifle leaned against him. His head slightly tilted to the side. His chest moved up and down calmly, he looked at peace when sleeping.

She quietly walked back in the classroom, leaving the man alone to rest in the hallway. She found Guilmon rummaging through the rucksack of rations while the others were still asleep. He pulled out a MRE, opened it and took the pack of chocolate biscuits. He sat back against the wall. He waved at Renamon, she smirked and sat next to him closely, resting her cheek on his shoulder. He then shared his breakfast with her, enjoying each other's silence.

"Wake up, Staff Sergeant," Raymond abruptly woke up after feeling something hitting his leg, "LT wants us for mission briefing," Dukeman announced bluntly.

Raymond quickly rearranged his rucksack, picked up his helmet and rifle, and followed Dukeman to the "meeting" room. All the squad leaders of the platoon gathered around the teacher's desk with Itami and Tomita joining the brief while Kurata and Kurabayashi were at the back of the classroom with a radio and laptop on another desk to establish contact with the rest of the JSDF in Tokyo.

"How are we doing on ammunations?" Richards asked out loud.

"Our secondaries are running low, a couple of hundred rounds left, sir," Answered SSG. Yurrek.

"Same here for the M240s and SAWs," Added Dukeman, some of the team leaders nodded to confirm his statement.

"We are all running low on mags, Lieutenant," Raymond claimed stoically. Richards turned to Itami and his 2IC, both claimed the same problem: low on everything.

"We also need to get the wounded out of here. They need proper medical help," Interjected their Corpsman.

"Low on ammo and supplies, barely awake and tired, probably behind enemy lines. What's not to like in this situation?" Raymond commented sarcastically, earning him a few chuckles from the Marines, "Any plans, sir?"

"We'll do what we do best, kick the enemy in the ass and make them regret meeting us,"

"Oorah," They all replied plainly.

"Either we stay here fighting until help arrives or we can call for an exfil here for the civies and wounded and hope for the best," He finally decided and stared at his Marines. They all seemed to be more content on staying and fighting than hoping for a ride back home.

"I think it's clear that we all want to stay and fight, sir," Raymond spoke their opinions out, "Unless if you guys don't want to," He said to the two JSDF soldiers.

Tomita and Itami had a little discussion before coming up with a favorable answer: "We can take another round, Staff Sergeant," He said with a confident smile.

"Then a last stand we shall have it," Concluded Richards.

Shortly after the briefing ended, Kurata roared victoriously at the back, raising his fists in the air before dancing happily. Kuribayashi, on the other hand, stared at him with shame and disappointment.

"Itami! We've made contact with the main force! Woooo!"

Everyone gathered excitedly around Itami as he picked up the radio. "This is Recon 3-1, to whom am I adressing?"

 _"* **static** *-Itami-san?! This is Captain Sawano, where are you? We're regathering for a counterattack. We can join up to your location and regroup-"_

"Sir, we have wounded and civilians with us. We also have U.S Marines with us. We're currently holding up in Odiai Elementary School," Itami reported urgently.

 _"Okay. Hang tight, reinforcements are coming in 30 minutes,"_ Reassured his Company Commander.

As if on cue, sudden firefights and explosions erupted around the ward. The counterattack was already on the way.

"Raymond, set up our defenses, I'll try to make contact with any USFJ units," Richards instructed firmly.

"You heard the Lieutenant, Marines! Battle stations! I want marksmen on the rooftop, machine guns on the first and riflemen squads on the ground floor with me, spread out and make each shot count!"

The squad leaders sprung into action and relayed the orders back to their squads. Itami split his team in two: Itami and four volunteers will join the Marines on the first floor while the rest remain on the second. The volunteers were Kuribayashi, Katsumoto, Furata and Hayato.

As the Marines and Japanese soldiers got into their firing positions, the commotion stirred the teenagers and Terriermon awake.

"Ugh, what's going on? Are we under attack?" Terriermon asked lazily with a hint of humour.

"Help is on the way," Renamon bluntly answered.

The group then heard Guilmon growling ferociously. They turned around concernly, they knew what is coming up next: "They are here, lots of them,"

"Indeed, I can sense them now. It is going to be a long morning for us," Renamon confirmed stoically, the familiar cold tingling sense of a threat was getting stronger the closer the enemy force gets.

The rain hadn't stopped since the morning. With the morning mist still lingering, their line of sight was limited, which could be both good and bad for them. The good part is that the enemy could, by a miracle, march pass them and went on unnoticed. The bad part, which was highly probable, they are currently closing in right in front of them. The soldiers waited anxiously for the first hostile soldier to pop out of the mist. The adrenaline pumping in their veins and heart beating rapidly, anticipating for the first shot to ring in the air.

The streets were quiet, the air still but heavy, only the sound of the gentle rain and distant battlefields could be heard. And then a massive foggy figure appeared, walking towards them with other smaller hidden figures behind it.

"Contact! Our twelve!" Reported Lance Corporal Wyatt to his team, his M249 SAW trained on the big figure. Everyone tensed up, their weapons drawn up and eyes glued to their weapon's sights. The silence was heavy as they waited for the figures to appear out of the mist, letting them walked towards their end.

"Wait for it..." Instructed Raymond.

"...Let them get closer..." Their fingers were on the trigger, their sights adjusted and their breaths held in.

"...Just a few more steps..." Triggers were slowly pulled, their aim focused on their target. Now waiting for the signal. Then, a digimon walked out of the mist, looking around it cautiously but oblivious of what is waiting for it just a few dozen meters ahead.

"Fire at will, Marines!" Raymond ordered sternly.

Thus, a storm of hot lead decimated in seconds the first enemy wave. The fight for their survival has begun.

* * *

"Sir, we're approaching Odaiba, Marines are ready to go on your signal," Announced one of the Navy crewmembers of U.S.S _Pendleton_ , part of the Carrier Strike Group 5.

The America-class amphibious assault ship has been sent closer to the city to provide reinforcements for the Marines stuck in combat. Captain Joseph Baldwin observed the devastated coast of Odaiba through his pair of binoculars. He was stunned by the destruction that laid across the island and also mainland Tokyo. Thick plumes of smoke reached towards the dark grey sky, fires were still lit ablaze across sections of the island. Jets and helicopters flew overhead of the ship, sent by the rest of the fleet behind it.

"Send any available unit we have to Odaiba," He ordered, "Try to contact with any ground elements in Tokyo right now, it is going to be a rough day for us," The crew on the bridge hurried on completing their tasks. The announcement for combat deployment resonated throughout the ship. Helicopters were loaded with Marines and ready to depart.

"Admiral, we've got contact with Delta company of 2/5 Marines! They are in Toshima, currently launching an offensive!"

"Send in the rest of the 4th Regiment," He ordered while still observing the battlefield, "May God be with them."

* * *

The morning fog has lifted, the rain slowly died down but the fighting continued, getting more intense as the two armies clashed in the streets of Tokyo.

For the Marines and Japanese soldiers held up in the elementary school, they've gathered the enemy's attention, a bit too much of it. They were outnumbered and overpowered. Hostile soldiers were creeping closer the school every minute, suppressing the humans with overwhelming volume of fire. The humans were starting to lose the fight as the situation got more desperate. Their reinforcements were still pinned down a couple of klicks away, engaging tough enemy resistance.

"Fuck! I'm hit!" Another Marine cried out, clutching his collar as the wound bled through his fingers.

"Corpsman!" Raymond yelled before he dragged the wounded man away from incoming hails of bullets and other projectiles.

Waltz arrived in a hurry, panting heavily after running back and forth to nurse the wounded. He knelt beside the wounded Marine and briefly inspected the wound. He rolled out a field dressing and gently applied it on the gunshot wound.

"Here, hold this," He instructed the Marine, taking his hand and placing it against the bandage, "Can you walk?" The Marine nodded with a wince, "Alright, let's go," The Corpsman carefully helped him up and escorted him to the school's infirmary where he and Kurokawa were treating their latest patients.

Raymond rejoined his men in the fight, also noticing that Richards was among them. He slid next to him, letting his shoulder hit the wall roughly.

"Sir, we really need some extra firepower!"

"Reinforcements are still pinned down, Staff Sergeant!" Richards replied dryly, "We just have to hold on,"

"I'm not talking about that kind of firepower, we have some right upstairs!" Raymond said, implying to let the digimon join the fight.

"Fine! But the civilians stay out of this!" Richards finally relented with a groan.

As if the universe toyed with him, both of them felt the ground tremble followed by a ferocious and terrifying roar that echoed even louder into the sky. They all looked at its direction with stunned faces. A blue t-rex like digimon was approaching the battlefield, shrugging off the incoming bullets thanks to its tough scales.

"Get them now! Hurry up!" Richards pratically yelled at Raymond nervously.

Raymond quickly got back up to his feet and sprinted his way up to the first floor. Just as he reached the floor and turned left to the tamers' classroom, he bumped into Guilmon by accident. He stepped away and noticed that all of them were out of the classroom, the teenagers included, with their digivices in their hands.

 _"Clever kids,"_ He noted mentally. "You three can join the fight," He pointed at the digimon, "But you guys stay back in there," He instructed firmly.

"Sure, but can we first..." Henry began while holding up his digivice.

"Shit, you speak English?" Raymond asked with genuine surprise before shaking his head "Yeah, of course you can digivolve them, just hurry up!" Raymond responded before he ran back down the stairs.

The tamers nodded to their digimon partners and pulled out their blue cards. Renamon vanished from sight and reappeared on the rooftop, scaring the living daylight out of the marksmen posted there while Guilmon and Terriermon followed the Marine. Both digimon rushed out, their bodies glowing as they begin to digivolve, forcing the humans to hold fire to avoid friendly fire.

"Alright, Growlmon, let's kick their ass!" Galgomon said energetically, laying down a volley of bullets with his gatling arms.

Growlmon began spewing out a wave of fire at the enemy before charging head-on at the Allomon. Meanwhile Kyubimon launched multiple fireballs at the enemy from the rooftop, taking out dozens of them.

"Watch your fire, gents," She told the marksmen before she leapt off and joined the fray, crushing a Commandramon upon landing.

"Focus fire on the little ones! Leave the big guys to the pros!" Raymond shouted at his Marines, letting Kyubimon, Galgomon and Growlmon take care of the tougher and bigger tangos while they get fire support from the humans.

"Captain, where the hell are you?!" Itami asked urgently, ducking his head behind cover.

 _"We just got through enemy line, we're five klicks away from your position!"_

"Copy that! Be advised, do not open fire at the red dinosaur, the kyubi and the bunny with gatling guns for hands!"

 _"The hell is that suppose to mean, Itami-sama?! Have you lost your mind?!"_

"You'll understand when you get here, sir," He hung the radio and reloaded his rifle, "Help's on the way! Do not let them move an inch!" He shouted at his troopers.

"Ryoukai!" They shouted back.

The human soldiers were able to adapt and coordinate their attacks with the three Champion-level digimon. With the digimon on the battlefield, they were able to fend off the enemy wave. Kyubimon and Galgomon used their range attacks to destroy tougher enemy units from a distance while Growlmon, after taking out Allomon in a brutal hand-to-hand combat, rammed into the enemy line, clearing a path and disorienting them. The enemy force did not expect meeting heavy resistance from the smaller human force nor did they expected other digimon to fight them. They were caught by surprise when the three of them arrived.

"Fall back! Fall back!" An enemy officer ordered loudly, forcing the troops to retreat.

Though the Third Recon team cheered in relief, the Marines, led by Raymond, chased after the enemy, drawing them towards the slowly approaching JSDF reinforcement. Kyubimon volunteered to join them while Growlmon and Galgomon stood behind to reinforce the school's defenses.

The Marines moved from cover-to-cover, using alleyways and cars as firing points to shoot at the enemy. The spontaneous plan seemed to work as the enemy were quickly cut down by an armoured column of the JSDF when reaching a crossing to set up a firing line. They died quickly and brutally, the Japanese soldiers held no mercy as they gunned down every enemy soldier to the last.

"Kyubimon! Behind me now!" Raymond ordered sternly while halting in his track, his Marines formed a line in front of him and waited for the armoured column to turn to their direction.

"Furendorïzu! Kochiradesu!"A Japanese officer yelled at the leading LAV, guiding his men and the convoy towards the Marines. He jogged towards Raymond.

The Marines relaxed, sighing in relief and laughing while letting a passage for the reinforcements.

Raymond smiled gladly and saluted the officer, "Staff Sergeant Raymond, glad to see you, sir!"

"Captain Sawano, a plea-" The officer choked on his words when he laid his eyes on Kyubimon, paling at the sight of the formidable and legendary beast that stood patiently behind the Marine, "Is-is that a-a-a kyubi?"

Raymond nodded calmly, "Yep, she's friendly, like the two others at the back. Tell your men to cease fire," He informed the officer.

"R-roger that..." Sawano replied nervously, still shocked and afraid to see Kyubimon before him. She gave him a nod and followed the Marines back to the school.

There has been a lot of confusion and commotion at the school. First off, Growlmon and Galgomon, and indirectly the humans in the school, were almost shot at by the scared Japanese soldiers. Thankfully Itami intervened immediately and explained everything. Once that was over, the Japanese secured the elementary school and called in helicopters to evacuate the Marines, the civilians and the wounded. Unfortunately for Itami and his unit, they were shortly ordered to regroup with the rest of the company and continue with the fight. The three digimon managed to return to their Rookie forms on time as the helicopters arrived.

"Go! Go! Go!" Richards shouted over the rotorblades of the helos as they begin their extraction.

The civilians, including the digimon, got in the first helicopter, a Bell UH-1H, with a couple of Marines. The pilots and crew gunners were a bit confused and surprised to see digimon among their passengers but shrugged it off before they ascended and flew back to their designated F.O.B.

The extraction was surprisingly quick. The Marines managed to get their wounded, equipment and men in the transports while the vehicles of their convoy followed a smaller friendly convoy towards the F.O.B.

Raymond observed the city below him, watching the burning trails of smoke and buildings pass by him. He could see from afar other units engaging the enemy in a fierce firefight. However, for him and the rest of the platoon, the fight was over for now. They would get some rest and then replenish themselves with ammunation, necessary equipment and a warm meal.

He wiped a hand on his face, clearing the dirt and sweat that covered his face. He glanced at his gloved hand and spotted black taints and dry blood on his palm. He take a look at his right arm and indeed it had a darker tone, caused by sweat, dirt, ash and gunpowder. He sighed and closed his eyes as he lets the strong breeze of the passing wind soothe his skin, easing his senses while the adrenaline rush of the battlefield dissipated.

He could hear the chatter of his Marines behind him, filled with joy and relief but also with impatience and eagerness, eager to get back into the fight.

* * *

 _Haneda Airport F.O.B, 18 hours since enemy contact._

Thousands of Japanese and American soldiers occupied the busy and bustling airport. Hundreds of vehicles stood on the tarmac while troops were gathered in the airport and hangars. A refugee camp was installed just next the airport, managed by the Japanese Self-Defense Force.

As soon as the helicopters landed, the Marines got out and regrouped at the nearest hangar. Raymond was the last man out of the helicopter. He spotted the civilians and digimon a dozen meters away from him, guided towards the aiport by JASDF personnel, it seemed like they didn't mind the three digimon that accompanied the teenagers. Raymond wouldn't get a word out before Richards called him.

He hurried over to the hangar where the platoon was gathered for a debrief from none other than Lieutenant Colonel Eversman.

"Glad you made it back alive, Marines," He stated proudly, "Outstanding fight you did out there, however it ain't over yet. As you can see, we're currently mounting the counter-offensive, the enemy is slowly retreating back to Ginza, where they came from. Now intel suggested that the enemy was advancing too quickly and so have run short of soldiers. You'll be redeployed in half an hour with Foxtrot company. So replenish yourselves in ammo and grab some breakfast because we're retaking the Shinjuku FOB then the Imperial Palace where ahundreds of Japs are holding up. Are there any questions?"

"Colonel, where's the rest of our company?" Raymond asked confusely and concernly.

"We've lost contact with them five hours ago. We assumed that the FOB over there had been overrun. I'm sorry, gents," Eversman explained sombrely, "However we recently have signs that there may be survivors making a last stand. An armoured company is already on its way to support them. Do not worry, you'll all get revenge soon, Marines. Oorah?"

"Oorah!" The platoon replied with determination.

With the debrief over, the Marines hustled and ran to the ammunation depot tent to replenish before they grab a small breakfast out from a crate just outside the tent. The men went through the list of necessary ammo and equipment rapidly, preparing themselves for a bigger fight. Other soldiers, Japanese and Americans, were as busy, passing around ammunation to each other, filling the tent with loud and incoherent chatter.

Raymond slid in between two soldiers and started to fill his empty magazines with new rounds. He took note that the men beside him were Japanese special forces, evident by the use of Multicam uniforms and different gear they had on them compared to the average soldier. One of them passed him two extra mags, which he accepted gratefully.

"Good luck," The man said after giving the Marine a pat on the shoulder.

Almost in a blink of an eye, they were gone from his sight. More soldiers arrived and took their places around the tables to restock on ammo. He grabbed a couple of frag grenades, three extra magazines for his sidearm, nightvision goggles, batteries for his radio and an extra MRE.

Once stocked with all the necessities and breakfast eaten, the preparations was done for them as they waited impatiently in the hangar.

They stood stoically as they watch soldiers get in helicopters and fly away towards the battlefield. Attack jets soared by the airport, their screeches echoing in the sky. Numerous convoys of APCs, LAVs and tanks left the airport in a hurry to support other units on the ground. From afar, they could see the U.S Navy's massive ships providing supply drops and naval artillery support.

Finally the wait was over and the men received their orders to deploy. They followed the Marines of Foxtrot company and boarded in the Chinooks. The fight for the Shinjuku FOB has begun.

* * *

Closing in towards the devastated national garden, the Marines could see a battalion of the JGSDF fighting on the Southern entrance while a mixed U.S Army and U.S Marines contigent was fighting on the Nothern entrance, attacking the enemy on two fronts. A couple of kilometers away from Shinjuku national garden was the Imperial Palace under sieged by enemy forces. The side gunners of the helicopter started to open fire, the roars of the fifty caliber machine guns rumbled through the compartment. Enemy troops retaliated. Multiple rounds struck near the bird, hissing as they fly by.

U.S forces have managed to push through enemy defenses, just in time for the Marines to arrive and reinforce them. The helicopter made its slow descent and landed safely, Raymond shouted at his Marines to get off. Once off, they regrouped with the rest of the platoon and followed the line of LAVs as they breach in the massive garden.

Low thumps coming from the LAV-25s responded to the hails of bullets. The Marines and Army soldiers moved in fast and returned fire. Snaps and cracks of gunshots echoed throughout the battlefield. The two forces exchanged fire as they closed in on each other, resulting in a deadly close quarter firefight.

The garden was scarred and disfigured by the intense battle. Bodies of humans, both combatants and civilians, were scattered across the field like a massive graveyard. Burnt remains of vehicles and deep craters also filled the garden, adding to the trail of destruction and death.

Though the enemy may have superior weaponry, they however lacked armour. Tanks and LAVs pounded the opposition force with brutal firepower and efficiency, ramming through their defenses with relative ease.

"Move up to that restaurant! Let's go!" Richards ordered his men.

"Second squad on me!" Raymond shouted as he approached the local restaurant.

The Marines hit themselves against the wall and carefully walked to the entrance. His carbine up, Raymond could hear his heart pounding rapidly and feel the sweat pouring down his face. He held his breath in and rushed in, followed by the rest of the squad.

The entrance hall was trashed. At the reception desk they could see two employees lying dead on the floor and covered in a pool of their own blood. Reaching the dining area, Raymond peered around the corner.

"Secure the kitchen," He ordered quietly.

Four Marines barged in the kitchen and quickly cleared the kitchen while the rest of the squad spread out and secured the dining area. More civilian bodies were found scattered in the building, varying from men, women and children.

"Dining room clear!" He yelled,

"Kitchen clear!"

"Restroom clear!"

"Restaurant clear!" He shouted outside, prompting the rest of the platoon to get in the restaurant and access the rooftop.

"Alright, we set up a waypoint here. I want M240s and marksmen on the rooftop," Richards instructed firmly, "Staff Sergeant, you take First and Second squad and push to the greenhouse with Foxtrot, the Army will try to regroup with the Japs,"

"Oorah. First and Second squad on me!" The Marines fall in behind him and followed him through the back door where they will resume the assault.

"The rest of you set up firing positions! This is our stronghold now!"

Raymond kicked the back door open and ran out. The two squads later joined a platoon from Foxtrot company as they make their way to the greenhouse, supported by a LAV-25 behind them. Although the dirt paths were large enough to accomodate the contigent of Marines, they are however surrounded by treelines and heavy foliages, perfect positions to set up an ambush... and the Marines didn't like those odds.

"Contact left!" A Marine shouted frantically.

A rocket soared out of the treelines, nearly missing the LAV. The explosion sent two men to the ground while others dived for cover. Rifles and machine guns retaliated, barking angrily. Volleys of bullets tore through the trees. Pink mists bursted out of unknown enemy soldiers. At least the Marines were hitting something.

"Staff Sergeant! Get your men through that treeline!" The platoon leader ordered, "We'll push through forward! Move out!"

"My guys on me!" Raymond shouted as the Marines mobilised toward enemy positions.

Taking point, Raymond ran forward, breathing heavily while his body was aching painfully. Barely setting foot on the paved pathway, he spotted two silhouettes emerging out behind a boulder. In a snap, he lifted his weapon and squeezed the trigger. Four rounds shot out of the muzzle. The stock recoiled back into his shoulder. A body dropped on the ground. The second hostile soldier turned to the Marine. Three rounds plunged into their chest, falling back lifelessly on the pathway.

He snapped to his right, seeing the crossroad, one path led straight to the greenhouse and museum complex. Up ahead, a path was crossing a large open area, where a dozen enemy troops were engaging fellow Marines.

He beckoned his men and swiped his hand in front of him then pointed at a spot beside the boulder. The Marines quickly formed a firing line, setting up their weapons and pointed at the group of hostiles. He stood behind and raised his carbine, taking the first shot. A hail of bullets soon followed the first round, eliminating the targets almost simultaneously.

"Advance!" He ordered.

The men stood up and marched forward, gunning down the survivors. Once it was deemed secured, the Marines shifted their focus to the greenhouse, just a hundred meters away from them.

The LAV-25 sped forward, pass the Marines, suppressing enemy troops with machine gun fire. Grenades were thrown at enemy positions, forcing them to move out of cover. The engagements were close, they could hear each other yelling as they exchange fire. Two men were killed and five more were wounded on the way. They were advancing too quickly without manoeuvring from cover to cover.

The men took position in a small circular garden, taking cover behind the tall bushes as they try to find their bearings with the rest of the whole force. Although they have ample amount of the visual cover after controlling the small forested area, they were not safe from enemy rounds and mortars, or a bayonet charge.

Crossing an open field, a large group of digimon soldiers charged at them with bayonets fixed at their guns. Machine gun fire was the response they've got. Mowing them down coldly, the Marines were fortunately supported by another Marine unit from another crossroad. The slaughter was quick. A M1A1 Abrams finished the job with an H.E shell.

The men barked at themselves over the roars of their weapons. Enemy soldiers were barricaded in the greenhouse, firing back at the incoming wave of humans. Casualties was stacking up on both sides. Wounded screamed for dear life. Men fell on the ground, drawing out their last raspy breath while covered in their own blood.

"Smith! M203 on those fuckers!" The Staff Sergeant shouted sternly.

The team leader loaded a high explosive round in the grenade launcher and pointed his rifle in the air, judging the drop of the grenade. A light "pump" shot out of the barrel. An explosion punched though the enemy defenses. Parts of the building shattered. The platoon poured hot lead into the greenhouse, killing everyone on sight.

"Staff Sergeant! Secure the greenhouse, we'll push through the parking lot!"

Following his command, Raymond and his Marines sprung out of cover and sprinted to the partially destroyed greenhouse.

"First Squad, go!"

Smith nodded and rushed in first, followed by his squad. Raymond and Second squad got in shortly after. Although there weren't any enemy bodies, they did however found numerous dead Marines. They were quick at identifying the corpses, they were all from their company.

"U.S Marines! U.S Marines!" They shouted, trying to gather any survivors.

"Echo 1-Actual, this is Echo 1-1, CHQ secured, CO's KIA. I repeat, CO's KIA," Raymond reported solemnly after finding Captain Clark's body, his back against the wall while his right hand fimly grasped his pistol. Blood dripped down the two bullets holes in his head. "Motherfuckers," He whispered bitterly.

His attention was caught abruptly when he heard frantic screams and yelling.

"Civilians in the restroom!" He heard Marcus yell.

Rushing towards them, he watches silently as Marcus escorted four civilians, a woman and three children out of the restroom.

"A Marine is dead over there," Marcus said stoically, motionning his head over at the lying corpse against the doorway.

"Echo 1-Actual, this is Echo 1-1, we've found four civvies in the greenhouse, a woman and three kids. What are your orders? Over," Raymond reported to Richards.

 _"Copy that. I'm sending Third Squad over there. Continue with the fight, Staff Sergeant. Japs have finally pushed through-"_ Richards replied before the call suddenly went quiet.

"Copy. I'm leaving two Marines behind in the meantime," He stated before facing the Marines, "You two stay here and protect the civies," He pointed at two Marines, "The rest on me, we're resuming the fight. Watch out for friendlies. Move out!"

The Japanese armoured column bursted through enemy line, crushing the last bastion of resistance and regrouped with the Americans to destroy the few pockets of enemy troops. Air support in the form of two JGSDF Apaches arrived in the battlefield, raining down death from above. Slowly, the national garden was cleared and under human control. An hour past noon, the human forces were able to retake a large part of Tokyo, however the Imperial Palace was under sieged and Ginza District is still heavily under enemy control.

Although their search in the greenhouse resulted poorly, they were able to regroup with a couple of survivors from Second and Fourth platoons. The company was barely at half strenght and without a company commander. Fortunately, the executive officer, First Lieutenant Nelson Jones, was still alive, taking the role of commanding officer.

"I want status report, gents," He demanded calmy while Waltz treated his wound in his left arm.

"We have a total of seventy Marines from First, Second and Fourth platoons. Everyone else is either dead or missing," Richards reported grimly.

"Well, aren't we in a shit show?" Jones stated sarcastically and angrily. "Are the Marines ready for another fight?" All three platoon leaders nodded confidently, "Alright then, let's regroup with Foxtrot company,"

* * *

 _Imperial Palace, 21 hours since enemy contact._

"Incoming!"

A rocket soared just above their heads, hitting a vehicle by accident. The blast destroyed and engulfed the vehicle and its passengers in an inferno. Nearby soldiers were thrown away by the strong shockwave. Cries for medics filled the air. Combat medics came sprinting to the scene, crossing the dangerous hails of incoming rounds. Two of them were killed on the way.

The Japanese soldiers responded back, gunning down enemy troops as they desperately hold onto Seimon Stonebridge, one of the main access points to the Imperial Palace Grounds. The East Gardens is currently and has been contested since last night while the Kitanomaru Garden to the North is under attack, only defended by two infantry companies and a tank squadron. Since the start of the invasion, the Japanese regiment tasked with defending the Imperial Palace managed to fend off wave after wave of hostile forces, suffering numerous casualties. Also joining in the defense were police officers and SAT operators, tasked with the protection of two thousand civilians still trapped in the palace, hoping desperately to be evacuated. They now have been fighting for the past ten hours without any reinforcements.

Sergeant Major Sōichirō Kuwahara was leading the counter-offensive in the East Gardens to retake control and defend their right flank. They were at first successful, catching the enemy off guard in the initial night raid. However when morning came, the enemy came back with brute force. The gardens were plagued with close quarters firefights and viscious hand-to-hand combat.

The senior NCO dropped to a knee and fired a couple of bursts at two digimon soldiers. The first one died immediately, falling to the ground as blood spurted out of their chest. The second fell, seriously wounded but still alive. Kuwahara fired at the survivor, killing them with two rounds to the spine. He then turned around and sternly observed the men under his command.

"Move up! Quickly!" He ordered sternly.

He sprung back onto his feet and led the men forward. Although this was his first taste of battle, like many soldiers of the JSDF, he did however remained calm and composed, able to make quick and rational decisions when others would've cowered in a corner.

Closing on a guardhouse, he hit his back against the wall and moved toward the corner. He peered around it and saw an opening through the ancient stone walls of the palace, exposing the enemy's flank. For now, the enemy is focused on a JSDF unit ahead of them, occupying another guardhouse and the Imperial Guard Headquarters, not minding to watch their flanks. Kuwahara had the men and equipment to strike a devastating blow to the attackers. This could eventually push them back to Kikyomon Gate.

He turned around and faced his men. They were all relatively young, the oldest of the bunch was 26 years old. Like him, they had no combat experience and so morale was low for them. Yet they still followed him, trusting their lives with him.

"Listen up, I want machine guns in the building with a riflemen fireteam. Panzerfausts and third squad on me. The rest of you set up a firing position to those treelines and await for my order," He instructed firmly, "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sergeant Major," They replied quietly.

"Let's roll,"

The men followed his instructions and spread out. A dozen men breached in the guardhouse and set up shop while two squads were setting their positions in the treeline across the building. Kuwahara led the eight-men squad to the stone walls, hitting their backs on impact. Arriving at the edge, he took careful peeks around the corner. He peeked right, the coast seemed to be clear. He peeked left, he spotted a group of enemy foot mobiles and two tanks... two living tanks with lots of guns. Across the road from their position was the second guardhouse, just behind the HQ. They need to move fast if they want to succeed.

With his right hand, he ordered a fireteam to run across carefully but quickly. The designated men nodded in reply and prepared themselves. He observed the enemy group and then swiped his right hand forward twice, the riflemen dashed out of cover, sprinting without paying attention around them. This error would be fatal for them.

One of the men didn't see a small crater on their way and stepped on it, slipping and falling head first clumsily. His rifle hit the ground hard, prompting it to ignite and fire a shot. Kuwahara hissed and glared at the fallen man before he looked back at the enemy soldiers and swore under his breath.

"Fucking run!" He shouted at the men as he began to open fire.

Unfortunately, the fireteam wasn't quick enough to respond or act. The enemy opened fire, their weapons barking and spewing out red tracer rounds. The volleys of bullets tore through the human soldiers. Clouds of blood bursted out of their bodies while they cried out of pain. Rounds were also directed at the Sergeant Major's position, forcing him to peel back.

Clumps of stone erupted near him as bullets whizzed by him. "To the treelines!" He yelled at the rest of the squad, running for dear life as they egressed to the treelines. "Fire on my signal!" He said in a commanding tone, "Panzerfausts get ready!"

The two anti-tank soldiers got into position and propped their rocket launchers on their shoulder. The other soldiers were ready for the enemy. They could hear and feel the tanks' threads rolling on the dirt road, their mechanical whirs echoed as they got closer. They could also faintly hear the voices of enemy troops, moving into position.

The first tank appeared in the open. It grinned maliciously at the Japanese soldiers and fired a round over their heads, intentionally missing them. A storm of bullets flew at them shortly after. Some of the men were hit, falling on their sides or backs while screaming in agony.

"Return fire!" Kuwahara yelled over the top of his lungs.

Hesitantly, the men returned fire, missing most of their shots under the suppressive fire of the tank. Thankfully, the machine gun teams in the guardhouse responded.

"Panzerfausts!" He yelled at the two soldiers.

They hurried up and got to a knee, aimed their launchers at the tank and fired. Two distinct and deep 'thumps' shook the earth and trees around them. The rockets shot out and hissed angrily as they neared their target. The explosive ammunations hit their mark, punching through the armour before detonating inside the living tank. The resulting explosion destroyed the digimon and a couple of its comrades in the engulfing flames.

"First tank down! Get ready for the second one!"

As if by a miracle, the men heard the rotorblades of helicopters in the sky. He looked up and sighed in relief when he laid eyes on three Apache attack helicopters. The fearsome birds launched death at the back of the enemy, eliminating the second tank and decimated the rest. Cheers and roars erupted from the exhausted men. More helicopters, this time troop transports arrived and hovered above the East Garden, dropping troops to reinforce the defenders.

"Sergeant Major, look! Paratroopers!" A soldier said with relief while pointing at the sky.

Indeed, multiple C-130 Hercules of the JGSDF flew over the Imperial Palace, covering the grey sky with coyote brown and olive drab parachutes, slowly falling in the air like a sea of jellyfish. He noticed that those were Japanese and American paratroopers.

"Looks like the Americans have finally arrived with full force," He said while smiling.

* * *

Although the fight in the Imperial Palace seemed to change for the better, the fight in the streets around it was brutal and gruesome. Evidence of heavy fighting could seen everywhere. In addition of corpses and craters, buildings and cars were on fire and in ruins, creating a desolate and hostile environment in Tokyo.

U.S Forces, now receiving more reinforcements, pressed on with the counter-offensive, catching the enemy off guard after the small victory in Shinjuku. American ground troops, Army soldiers and Marines, crawled slowly through the streets at the pace of their armoured column, protecting the flanks while the tanks were pounding the enemy to a pulp. Behind the tanks was a line of APCs and IFVs, providing supplies for the troops and available transports to evacuate the wounded.

A slow and fierce crawl for the soldiers but necessary to maintain a constant pressure on the enemy while easing the logistics and supply chains, allowing them to keep pushing forward without worrying about ammo.

To the West and North of the Imperial Palace, the defenders were being relieved with additional troops and supplies while transport helicopters were arriving to evacuate the wounded and the civilians.

The Marines manoeuvred through the sidewalks, pushing the enemy troops back while maintaining a constant flow of fire. The men kept on with the mission, avoiding the numerous corpses of soldiers and civilians that littered across the battlefield.

Heavy machine gun fire and shells flew back at them, forcing the men to halt their advance and take cover. Raymond took cover behind a civilian semi-truck. He peeked over, trying to determine its origin. He spotted a large group of soldier on top of a highway just above the wide crossroad ahead of them. The enemy have set up machine gun posts and mortars on that toll road.

"AT! AT up here!" He demanded loudly. Two soldiers came forth, AT-4 launchers slung behind them. "MGs and mortars on that highway, you see them?" They nodded clearly, "Blast those fuckers away!"

They took their positions behind the vehicle and slung over the launchers. The Marines provided cover fire while the convoy halted in its track, not wanting to risk a barrage of rockets and shells.

"Checking backblast!" One of the soldiers shouted.

"Clear!" Raymond shouted back and covered his ears.

"Firing!"

Two minor shockwaves and thunderous 'thumps' erupted. The rockets hit their marks, blowing up a chunk of the highway. It collapsed and crushed the enemy blockade, engulfing the crossroad in a thick cloud of ash and dust. The soldiers got back to their feet and charged forward, quickly overrunning the enemy position.

Pushing through the smoke cloud, they climbed over the rubbles of the highway and led the way while the tanks rolled over the ruins, bursting out of the cloud in a spectacular way as they fight on, the American contigency was approaching the charred remains of the Ministry of Finance. They've entered the governmental district of Tokyo and farther ahead was the Imperial Palace.

The fighting was viscious, brutal, gruelling and chaotic. The maze-like environment and urban layout made it hard for both factions to set up a line in the battlefield. The disfigurement of the city and uneven terrain just added more to the confusion, creating a seemless fog of war. Although the humans were able to coordinate easily with each other, advancing through the city was a roll of die with Death.

The human counter-offensive dragged on through the day and eventually in the evening where both factions dug in. The humans were just at the border of Ginza District, literally just across the avenue.

Occupying an entire skyscraper, a U.S forward HQ and outpost was established, keeping contact with other units on the field. Meanwhile, the JSDF recently secured the National Diet Building.

The Marines of Echo company passed through a construction work site as they approached their objective point. Tagging along with them were Marines of the 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. They were tasked with delivering and coordinating air and naval gunfire strikes by infiltrating in enemy territory. Once the "strike packages" were successfully delivered by the ANGLICO team, the Japanese and American forces will launch the second counter-offensive simultaneously on two fronts, hoping to demoralize and crush the enemy back to the gate.

A dangerous mission but the Marines were all willing to go, determined to put an end to this slaughter.

Most of Tokyo was covered in a veil of darkness. The power throughout the city was cut, basking the streets in darkness. The tall buildings and skyscrapers loomed over the men, their shadows obscuring their vision. Small engagements could be heard from afar. Fires were still burning parts of streets and buildings. More corpses were on displayed in the open, painting a very grim and desolated picture of Tokyo, a city that was once filled with life and colourful lights each night.

With their night vision goggles on, the Marines crossed the eerie silent street quietly, moving towards a plaza.

Raymond could faintly hear the beating of his heart and breathing drumming into his ears. He eyes darted in every corner of his vision, double checking each passing shadow. Though he used to conducting ops at night time, being in a city with NVGs was far different than the forests or valleys of Afghanistan.

He glanced forward and smiled upong seeing the statue of Godzilla from the first movie, still standing proudly and unharmed in the middle of destruction and death. He jogged towards it and lightly tapped the statue for good luck.

"Stay awesome, Kaiju," He whispered as he jogged along.

The men got in the plaza, taking their time to clear it before they moved along to the back exit. The ANGLICO Marines stopped in their tracks, halting the whole company in the building. The team leader pulled out a big pair of green binoculars and peered into it. Their objective building was just across the avenue. Luckily, they'll be in the cover of darkness since there was a railway that ran above that avenue.

"This will be our fall back point," The team leader said to First Lieutenant Jones.

The officer gave a thumbs up and relayed the information to the platoon leaders before they begin to cross the avenue. Like before, the Marines were being quick while being careful and mindful of their surroundings, not wanting to make a fatal mistake that would've blown their cover. Speed and surprise was key.

It was quiet outside, too quiet in fact which sent dread in Raymond's guts. Something wasn't right.

A loud 'bang' shattered the silence. Looking ahead, he saw though his NVGs a streak of light piercing an ANGLICO Marine through the chest and back. A black mist jumped out of the wounds, cascading onto the street before the man fell on his side, instantly dead.

A second gunshot rung in the air, hitting another Marine of the specialized team in the neck. He fell down, clutching his neck while agitating and shaking in place as blood gushes and oozes out of the wound.

"Sniper!" A Marine yelled.

Gunfire suddenly lit up the streets. The Marines were caught in the open and retaliated while they tried to retrieved their downed comrades.

"Cover fire!"

"Fall back! Fall back!"

Marines were being hit, dropping like flies. They were not expecting a tough resistance nor a well-planned ambush. Raymond jumped over the small wall behind the plaza and returned fire, providing cover fire for the retreating men. Smoke grenades were thrown to mask their retreat, for a short while.

"Fuck!" He heard a familiar voice cursed.

"Marcus!" The Staff Sergeant jumped over the wall and ran towards the wounded man in the middle of the crossfire.

The Marine virtually had his left kneecap blown away. Parts of the bone were laid on the street in a pool of blood. The man cried and spewed profanities. Raymond threw another smoke grenade out and grabbed Marcus. He lifted the young Private over his shoulders and ran back to friendly lines. The combined weight of the man and his gear on drastically slowed down his mobility, making themselves an easy target.

Raymond grunted with effort as he ran the last couple meters to the wall, hearing the bullets that whizzed by his feet. He reached the wall, a couple of Marines caught Marcus and took him off the Staff Sergeant's back. He then leaped over the wall and ungracefully landed on his rear, swearing on impact while panting heavily like he just ran a marathon.

A Corpsman was already treating the wounded man while the ANGLICO Marines ditched plan A and proceeded to plan B.

"Goliath, this is Scout 2-1! We've been spotted! Neptune! I say again: Neptune!"

 _"Copy that, Scout 2-1, Neptune confirmed,"_

"Hold the line, Marines! Do not let them get pass us!" Jones yelled.

 _"Titan, this is Goliath, Stand by for fire mission,"_ The U.S forward HQ commanded.

 _"Goliath, this is Titan, standing by for fire mission,"_ The EC-130E from the U.S.A.F replied plainly.

 _"Grid to suppress: Golf Foxtrot 279316. Grid to mark: Golf Foxtrot 278569. Over,"_ Goliath requested.

 _"Grid to suppress: Golf Foxtrot 279316. Grid to mark: Golf Foxtrot 278569. Out,"_ The command aircraft repeated, checking the grids while doing so.

 _"Fire Mission code: Bravo Tango Oscar. Danger close. Over,"_ Titan repeated the last line before contacting the American fleet and all available air force.

Plan B was more direct in its objective, destroy all enemy assets in disregard of civilian infrastructures. In other words, level the entire district to ashes.

More enemy troops were emerging out of cover, charging straight into the hails of bullets. The Marines showed no mercy for these ferocious adversaries, no creature will be spared. However they were greatly outnumbered and soon to be running out of ammo. Grenadiers launched several H.E 40mm rounds at the swarm of enemy soldiers, blowing some of them to pieces.

"We need to fall back, sir!" The ANGLICO team leader pleaded to Jones.

"Negative, reinforcement should be here soon!" Jones responded dryly.

As if granted by the Heavens, the Marines could hear the familiar and soothing whirs of tank treads rolling through the street behind them. Glancing behind him, Jones spotted two silhouettes of M1A1 Abrams tanks nearing their position while several Army troopers sprinted to reinforce the line.

"The tanks are here! Hahaha, let them eat it!" Smith shouted with joy.

Such sight of mighty firepower boosted the men's morale up. Two heart-pounding claps shattered the air, crushing the enemy wave with high explosive tank shells. The additional firepower proved to be enough to deter and push back the enemy. The digimon soldiers retreated into the dark streets and alleys, only muzzle flashes and tracers lit up the area. The men continued to open fire, keeping the opposition at bay while air and naval artillery support begin their barrages and precision strikes.

From the skies, silent and swift metal birds soared across the city, launching a storm of missiles above the enemy, engulfing them in flames and smoke. Striking them from the sea, the U.S fleet showered them with repeated and constant volleys of artillery shells. The combined barrages made the earth tremble uncontrollably. Entire buildings and skyscrapers crumbled and collapsed. Hell fire was brought down, hammering the enemy until there was nothing else.

Although it was a successful and devastating sixty-second air and artillery strike, the digimon army kept fighting.

 _"Titan, this is Sierra 3! Broken Arrow! I say again: Broken Arrow!"_

The Japanese Ground Self Defense Force was unable to contain the enemy's advance, suffering too many losses to hold on. Once again, the military coalition was losing ground. The Japanese were back in the Imperial Palace while additional U.S units were being deployed to assist them.

The second counter-offensive has been halted early morning. The U.S Army and Marines were able to take three hundred meters worth of ground in the South-East while the JSDF lost an entire district in the North-East, giving the enemy an opening to flank around them and re-capture their lost land all the way back to Shinjuku.

It has now been 37 hours that Tokyo is besieged.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _Shinjuku National Garden FOB, 38 hours since enemy contact._

"Un-fucking-believable!" Richards swore angrily, stomping through the grass while Raymond jogged behind him, "Do the Japs _really_ have to assign **us** for this mission?!" He complained furiously, "And then fucking command accepts the request! Just what the fuck is wrong with this world?! Are we some kind of plot device or some shit and have plot armour perhaps?!"

"Sounds like a bad fanfiction," Raymond joked with a dry chuckle.

"Oh, don't get me started, Staff Sergeant," Richards retorted before they arrived at the FOB's parking lot where the rest of the platoon was gathered.

Most of the Marines seemed a bit confused with this sudden change of events while a few were completely bitter and angry from being pulled out of the fight at a very bad time.

"Alright, listen up, Marines! Like most of you, I too do not understand what's going on but we have orders to follow, period. We will return to the frontline to assist a group of VIPs and Special Forces," He reported to the men, causing some to murmur with more confusion, "This is a very important mission and they are only sending us. The situation over there is dire. We will be deep in enemy territory but we will have close air support, so prepare for a big fight. Retreat?"

"Hell!" They shouted in unison.

"Move out!" Raymond ordered sternly.

Two CH-47J Chinooks recently landed in the garden, waiting for the Marines to board in. Once they were all on board, the two large helicopters lifted off the ground and departed for their next destination.

* * *

 _Haneda Airport FOB, 35 hours since enemy contact._

Japanese personnel worked tiredlessly in the command center, scrambling to keep coordination among their forces as the enemy was back on the offensive. Lieutenant General Shisuo Kimizuka, commander of the 1st Division of the Eastern Army, observed the map of Tokyo with a deep frown. Things were looking grim for the Japanese and the Americans. Eventhough more Japanese troops from other armies were converging to Tokyo, along with the U.S's support, the tide seemed to be against them once again. For the past two days, it has been a bloody tug of war between their forces and the enemy.

The Prime Minister is still hospitalized, barely escaping Death's grip were it not for the timely rescue of the Special Forces Group and US Navy SEALs.

For now, his mission, and consequently of the entire self defense force, is to contain the threat in Tokyo for as long as possible until NATO could mobilize troops and supplies on their way. However that task was easier said than done. No solutions seemed to give any satisfying results, except dropping a nuclear bomb but that option was kept only as an ultimatum, THE last resort.

He picked up his cup of coffee and took a long sip, trying to calm his nerves in the middle of frantic chatter that filled the room.

"Lieutenant General," A soft spoken voice called him. "Sir?"

He turned around to meet a young lady, a staff officer, greeting him with a sharp salute. He looked past her at the civilian standing behind her. He recognised the man immediately. He returned the salute and curtly dismissed the officer.

"Yamaki," His deep and grave voice greeted him, "On what occasion do I owe your presence here?" He asked bitterly.

"A solution to the problem, General," Yamaki retorted flatly walking aside woman and meeting face-to-face with the high ranking officer.

"Oh really? And what would that be, uhm?" Kimizuka asked with fake interest.

"General, to be frank, you have little to zero knowledge on the enemy. This is not North Korea, China or ISIS. You're facing an army of digital monsters, a professional, disciplined and organized military force to be exact," He said as a matter of fact. He pulled out a tablet and showed the Lieutenant General a map of Tokyo, "You see this?" He pointed at a black spot that covered a whole district of the city, "This is Ginza. This is where they come from and by coincidence we have no eyes and no comms over there. General, the enemy was prepared. They knew from the start that we would heavily rely on comms for air support,"

"So they have a jammer somewhere in Ginza..." Kimizuka stated in bafflement.

"Exactly. They are probably establishing a base so they could resupply their forces. Fortunately we have created a program that has the capability to deactivate that jammer and shut the gate off," Yamaki showed a PDF file to the high-ranking officer, "That way we cut them off from Digital World and wipe them out in one go,"

Intrigued, Kimizuka admitted that this could be the optimal solution that could bring them victory. "Yuggoth, huh?" He pronunced the program's name curiously "And how come you didn't activate this from the beginning?"

"We were interrupted by your men and the Americans. Thankfully, one of my employees managed to download the whole program into that tablet," Yamaki informed him bitterly.

"I'm sensing a 'but' here..."

"We need to get into Ginza to locate that jammer. We can't activate the program with that jammer on,"

"You want us to send you over there?!" Kimizuka exclaimed incredulously, "That district is heavily fortified and crawling with God's knows what! Our forces could barely breach their defenses. And what if a bug or a glitch appears and blows the whole operation? What's plan B?" Kimizuka asked sceptically.

"If that is the case, then we will activate Juggernaut. We will collect every data in this city to power up another vortex that would then absord the Digimon and destroy them for good, but it will cause a major electronic disruption, like an EMP implosion," Yamaki answered flatly.

"What do you need, Yamaki?" The Lieutenant General asked, giving in to Yamaki's plan and hoping that it would work.

"Two of my employees, a security team and a ride that would get us as close to the enemy as possible," He requested bluntly.

"You want to expose yourself out there?!"

"No, we will infiltrate by using the subways," He replied before leaving the room, "I want my assets ready in thirty minutes, General,"

With that, Yamaki left without another word, leaving the senior officer in puzzlement. He pondered for a moment of the man's intention before he complied to his requests.

"Get a helicopter ready and contact the nearest SF unit in the area," He demanded from his staff, "Oh and get me in contact with the Americans, now,"

Waiting in the hangar with Yamaki were Riley Ohtori and Tally Onodera, Hypnos chief operator and expert operator respectively. The two employees were each given a lightweight ballistic vest and a handgun for self-defense by JSDF personnel.

Tally carefully inspected her pistol. Hoping that she wouldn't need to use it, she holstered the weapon on the vest. She looked at Yamaki and Riley, who seemed to know how to handle firearms.

"Is this really necessary, sir?" She asked concernly, "I thought we will have a security team with us,"

"We do, however, we cannot always count on them to protect us all the time," Yamaki said plainly after he cocked the slide and flicked the safety on. Riley mimicked the same gesture in a fluid motion.

"I really hope we wouldn't need to use this," Tally stated nervously.

"They're just digimon, Tally, not people," Yamaki said coldly.

Riley holstered her pistol and shook her head disapprovingly, placing a comforting hand on Tally' shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," She reassured her friend.

"Are you Yamaki Mitsuo?" A deep voice asked behind them.

He turned around and was face-to-face with twelve heavily armed special forces operators, their identities completely hidden from them by their combat shades and balaclavas. He gave them a nod to confirm his identity.

"Second Lieutenant Akano of 'Stalker' squad, reporting for duty ," The officer formally greeted the civilians. "We are assigned to you as the security team,"

"Have you been briefed for the mission?" Akano replied with a firm nod, "Then we're ready to go," Yamaki said before the group walked towards the two waiting UH-60JA Blackhawks.

Tally felt an unfamiliar presence beside her. She looked to her right and saw an operator gazing at her.

"You know how to use this, ma'am?" He asked politely while pointing at her holstered pistol.

"I had some basic firearms training. I can handle myself," She replied confidently but immedietally faltered and leaned closer to the man, "Though to be honest, I'm hoping to not using it... unless it is _really_ necessary," She admitted sincerely.

The operator chuckled and gave her a wink, "Don't worry, ma'am, I'll make sure you're safe and sound,"

Tally giggled, feeling her cheeks flushing before she got in the transport helicopter, taking a seat next to Riley. The previous operator sat on the edge of the helicopter, his legs dangling casually in the air off the side as it makes its departure from the FOB.

* * *

Everything was pitch black in the helicopter. The operators and civilians had their nightvision goggles on. No one spoke out a single word as the sound of battle provided the distraction needed to break the heavy silence.

Eventhrough the loud rumbles and whirs of the helicopter, they could hear the intense firefights that ensued throughout the city. Cracks, snaps and explosions echoed through every corner of the city.

The co-pilot turned around to face the passengers, lifting one finger to the air, "One minute!"

Akano responded with a thumbs up and contacted the rest of his squad through his headset, "One minute, gents,"

 _"Copy,"_ His second-in-command replied from the other helicopter.

The helicopters begin to slowly descend until they hovered a dozen meters above ground level. The operators hung rappel ropes on the sides and slipped down one by one. The helicopters maintained stable in the air, kicking off dirt and ash, causing a mild tornado around themselves. One of the crewgunners gave the civilians each a pair of thick gloves.

Riley was the first of the three to slip down the rope, hitting the ground with a soft grunt. She thanked herself for wearing trekking shoes instead of her usual high heels or sneakers. Next was Yamaki, managing to stick his landing despite wearing a ballistic vest over his business suit and a pair of expensive black leather shoes, now dirty and stained. Finally Tally rappelled down the rope however due to the low visibility from the dust storm and the hazy green hue of her NVGs, she accidentally slipped and fell off. Fortunately for her, an operator caught her in his arms, preventing her from breaking her hip bone or spine.

"See? Told you I would keep you safe," A familiar voice said jokingly, making the young woman blush a light pink shade across her face.

"T-Thanks..."

Once everyone was on the ground, the helicopters ascended and returned to base. Akano communicated with his men through swift and firm hand signals, the VIPs simply grouped up with each other and waited for the operator's orders. The men formed a semi-circle perimeter around the Hypnos agents while Akano and five others took point. The group departed from their starting point, heading towards the nearest subway.

The subway was dimly lit, most of the power in the entire city was cut off. Two operators switched their infared lights on, adding a more brighter source of light, while still invisible to the naked eye, for the group to manoeuvre with through the subway. Despite being in shambles, the subway was surprisingly clear of any significant damages... in other words it lacked dead bodies, which was a good sign that the enemy haven't been through here.

One of the operator branched off the group to observe a map of the underground layout. The man quietly made a mental note before he reported back to his squad leader. The Second Lieutenant nodded and turned to Yamaki.

"We'll be able to make five hundred meters before we get to the hideout in the district. From there, we should be about two klicks away from the gate," He explained to a whisper, "Is that close enough?"

"Very close," Yamaki replied quietly.

Akano faced his men and swung his hand forward twice, prompting them to resume to the mission. After a couple of minutes later, the group managed to find an exit.

Slowly and carefully, the operators poked their heads out of the subway access point, checking cautiously their surroundings. Deeming it clear, the group swiftly got in their designated hideout, a small empty hotel. Taking over a small and modest hotel room on the fourth floor, the operators secured their entry points. Akano nominated two of them to set up at the rooftop while the VIPs begin to work.

"Godfather, this is Stalker 0-1, we've made it to Lima, commencing observation. Over," Akano reported quietly.

The officer spotted the gate and observed it through his pair of binoculars. To his surprise, the enemy have already set up a defensive outpost around the gate with metallic barriers, barbed wires and tank traps, occupying the whole crossroad that the gate was on.

 _"They came prepared. They seemed to be highly disciplined and organized too,"_ He noted mentally.

He continued with his observation. Spotting several guards and supply crates, it seems that the enemy was planning to conquer Tokyo and probably the whole country. This must be their starting base. He then spotted a particular individual surrounded by what seemed to be their personal guards and advisors. The digimon in question was a humanoid lion, easily towering over their personnel. The lion man wore a cap over their lenghty hair. They wore a black uniform over their shoulders with black matching pants. Their chest was exposed, revealing a cross like scar on the abdomen. The assumed leader sported a deep frowned look, thinking pensively while remaining focused and determined.

"Uh, Yamaki-san, I think I've spotted their leader," He said as he beckoned the man to his spot. He passed the binoculars to him and pointed towards the designated area.

Yamaki looked closely for awhile before he gasped with surprise, "That's a BanchoLeomon... there's also a Mervamon with him. This must be a General and his second-in-command. Looks like I was right..."

"Um, sir? What are you talking about?" The officer asked confusely, catching the curious glances of some of the operators.

"Usually we deal with a single or a small group of digimon, bandits basically," He explained, "But I thought at first that these digimon were just from a larger group of bandits but no... this is a military force, we're dealing with an army from a state or nation from the Digital World," He finally elaborated, frowning deeply.

"You mean there's a nation in that portal that wants to attack us? Declaring a war with us?" Yamaki nodded with certainty.

"There's no doubt in that. They plan to take over this world with brute force. We need to shut that gate fast before reinforcements would come in here,"

He turned back to Riley and Tally, who seemed to be working hard, trying to locate the jammer. "Any luck?"

"Negative," Riley answered with frustration, "That jammer is somewhere near us because we're experiencing major inteferences. We need eyes to locate that jammer. At this point, we're sitting ducks here,"

"Fukumoto, get comms with command. Saitama, Aïto, get me eyes on any jammers in the vicinity,"

The operator turned the radio beacon on and tried to make contact with headquarters. Only white static noises greeted him. He tried again by lifting the folding disk in the air to get some clear signals.

"Stalker 0-1 to Godfather, do you receive?" He said into the radio, "Stalker 0-1 to Godfather, do you copy? Over,"

 _"Three by five, Stalker 0-1,"_ Came the faint response, _"We do have some interference ov-*static*- comms, over,"_

Fukumoto handed the radio to the squad leader, "Godfather, requesting a UAV on the AO. We can't locate the jammer. We've also spotted a possible HVT. Over,"

 _"Stalker 0-1, can you repe-*static*- last traffic? Over,"_

"Repeat: Need UAV and possible HVT in the AO, over,"

 _"Copy that. We'll try to send a drone out to your AO. Do you have HVT's loca-*static*-ver,"_

"Affirmative. HVT's at the Gate. I recommend a drone strike. How copy? Over,"

 _"Solid copy, Stalker 0-1. We have one Predator drone in the air, callsign "Jupiter 4", ETA twenty mikes. Over,"_

"Roger that, we will maintain visual on the HVT. Be advived, we will laser target HVT's and jammer's location. Over and out," He ended the call and passed the radio to the operator.

 _"Stalker 0-1, this is Stalker 1-1, we've spotted the jammer. 400 meters to our East on top of a parking garage. We have multiple foot mobiles and at least two tanks,"_

"Copy that, 1-1, maintain visual, air support is on the-"

 _"Oh? Looks like we have an early visit. We have multiple tangos coming in hot from the West. Maybe a whole platoon with three LAVs on the way,"_ The spotter reported coolly.

"You know the drill. Get into positions," Akano ordered quietly.

The operators acted quickly, they set up their firing positions on the windows. The two operators on the rooftop shifted their position to the incoming enemy wave, setting up their suppressed DMRs over the edge. One of them prepared a M320 grenade launcher by his side.

Yamaki, Riley and Tally were moved to another hotel room and away from the windows. The men waited patiently for the enemy to come. Though adrenaline pumped into their veins, the operators remained cool and collective, breathing calmly and softly as they aimed down their gunsights. They brought with them extra ammunation, grenade launchers and three anti-tank rocket launchers.

The first enemy soldier popped out of cover. Their head jerked backwards, blood and brain matter spewed out of the wound. They fell on the street lifelessly, shocking their comrades. Suddenly, more shots were fired, their origins unknown to the enemy, blind as a bat in total darkness. The volleys of hot lead struck down the surprised enemy infantry unit. The digimon soldiers responded quickly, firing blindly around. The muzzle flashes easily gave away their position, exposing themselves to the operators in the open.

The operators were accurate with their shots. Each bullet hit its mark. Digimon blood was spilled over the ashen concrete road. The SFGp showed no mercy, eliminating their target. The weapons released small snaps or "whoosh" when discharged. The usual bullwhip-cracks or loud firecrackers were muffled by the suppressors; and with the ongoing battle happening around them, their weapon sounds were greatly reduced.

Waterfalls of bullets splashed over the soft carpet ground of the master bedroom. Smoke hazely drifted away the muzzles, leaving a heavy scent of gunpowder.

The elite soldiers were systematic with their kills. They shifted one target after another, dropped behind cover to reload and resumed to the killing. Their body moved naturally, each precise movement and action was fluid. Years of training and drills turned these men into true killing machines. To them, this was as normal as breathing or walking. Despite the hectic firefight, these men remained relatively calm and collected. For now, they still had the advantage and they were winning the gunfight. They intend on keeping this way.

"'Nade out!" One of the operators warned before tossing a frag grenade onto the street.

The subsequent explosion tore through a squad of enemy soldiers. A haze of bullets fired back at them, forcing the operators down. Suppressed, a couple of digimon soldiers were able to breach in the hotel, hunting down the humans.

"Hostiles in the perimeter, watch the hallway!" Akano ordered sternly. He picked up the M320 grenade launcher module and loaded a 40mm high explosive round. He popped out of cover. The launcher recoiled into his shoulder, spitting out a light 'thump'. He ducked down, feeling the ground shake as the round exploded, igniting and detonating in a fiery spectacle.

"Contact,"

Frantic rapid fire echoed in the hallway behind him. Three of his men were engaging the enemy that have reached their floor.

Akano loaded another round in the launcher and fired another round into the street. He switched back to his modified HK416 and jogged towards the three-man rear guard. While the fireteam watched over the hallway, he peered his head out before egressing to the VIPs' room. He saw that all three of them kept on working with the only exception being the young blonde woman, cowering in the room's bathroom with her laptop in hand. He nonchalantly went for the stack of ammo bags and weapons and took out a M72 LAW rocket launcher. He simply jogged back to his original spot, propping the launcher over his shoulder.

"Everyone! Check backblast!"

"Clear!" They replied back.

"Fire in the hole!" He yelled.

The rocket launcher let out a sharp roar, the whole floor trembled violently. A thick plume of smoke filled the room as the rocket soared straight for one of the Tankmon present in the perimeter.

 _"Stalker 0-1, this is Jupiter 4, standing by for fire mission. How copy? Over,"_ Came the calm and cool voice of the drone operator.

"Solid copy, Jupiter 4. Target will be laser marked. How copy? Over," Akano reported quickly and clearly.

 _"Copy that. Ready to send the package strike in sixty seconds, out,"_

"1-1, mark the target now! Drone's inbound fifty seconds!"

 _"Ryokai!"_

One of the marksmen on the rooftop rolled onto his back and picked up the portable laser designator. He rolled to the side and crouched up, moving to the other end of the rooftop before setting the laser marker up. He peered into the device and made sure that the laser was stable and on target.

 _"Stalker, we see the laser. Sending package...now,"_

On cue, a missile levelled the entire parking garage. The multi-storey building collapsed into a pile of concrete and steel. A thick plume of smoke and ash rose up from the destruction. Finally came the ear-shattering boom, echoeing into the air loudly.

"Good kill, Jupiter 4, at least two dozen EKIA and one jammer down," The operator announced while smiling.

 _"Copy that, Stalker. We can still go for an-,"_ Unfortunately the line went dead abruptly.

A brief flash lit up from the sky, prompting the two marksmen to look up. To their dismay, the drone had been struck down by the enemy. The debris of the Predator drone fell to the ground in flames.

"Godfather, this is Stalker 1-1, Jupiter 4 is down. I repeat: Jupiter 4 is down. Over,"

Akano watched dreadfully the blazing debris of their air support. He scoffed and contacted command.

"Godfather, this is Stalker 0-1, we've been comprised. We're relocating to Exfil site. Send in the Marines ASAP," He reported before he turned to his men.

"Team 1, set the charges up. We'll blow this building down to cover our retreat. We're getting the fuck out of here. Clear?"

"Clear!" They replied plainly and obeyed his command.

"What the hell is going on here, lieutenant?" Yamaki asked in irritation after he and his two operatives were pushed out of the room.

"We've been comprised. We're moving to an exfil site. Helos will be there to extract us in ten minutes so we better hustle up," Akano replied bluntly.

"Exfil? We can't now! We haven't activated the program yet! We need to stay here longer to close that gate and kill the general!" Yamaki snapped stubbornly.

The officer sighed in frustration and frowned. He stared back at the man with a deep scowl, leaving no room for negociations, "Look, sir, we got what we came here for, right? Find the jammer and destroy it. Mission accomplished. Now we need to get the fuck out of here before this place will be crawled with the enemy," He took a step forward, maintaining his gaze to Yamaki, "You want to stay here? Then you'll do it without me and my men. We have our orders, sir, and if you do not like them, then you can stay here and die," He then stared at the women, standing behind their boss with worried faces, "The message's the same for you two as well,"

With that, the man joined his men to repack their equipment and find another exit. Yamaki wordlessly followed them, still frustrated at the loss of another opportunity to end this battle sooner.

Quietly making their way out through an obscure alleyway, the operators checked their corners before they made their progress towards the designated exfiltration site. With the cover of darkness, the humans were like shadows, using their night vision capabilities to weave through enemy line, unseen so far by enemy patrols. The SFGp squad maintained radio silence.

The squad's pointman raised his right fist up, halting the whole group behind him. The men crouched down and watched their perimeter, making sure no one would sneak up behind them. Akano made his way towards the pointman, kneeling beside him.

"What's the hold up?" He whispered.

"I have a bad feeling right now... something's not right here," The pointman whispered back.

"Look, I'm as nervous as you but you should really control your bladder, Tanaka-san," Akano chuckled quietly.

"Har har, lieutenant," The operator replied dryly, "But still, I have a feeling that something went wrong with our exfil site,"

"Compromised?" Tanaka nodded. "Well, if that's the case, we should hold up somewhere else and prepare for a fight. We resume with the mission for now," He ordered and patted the man's back.

Tanaka sighed and swung his right hand forward, signalling the rest of the squad to move out. They finally reached their destination. An empty and unfinished construction site greeted the group. The operators activated the strobe lights on their helmets, showing their current position on the ground to the sky. The squad formed around the civilians, watching every corner while waiting for their transports.

 _"Stalker 0-1, this is Hawk 3-1, we see your position. We're inbound, ETA sixty seconds,"_ The pilot informed to Akano.

He looked up and spotted two helicopters: a Chinook and an AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter. He gazed at Tanaka, who was staring at the helicopters before returning his gaze at his squad leader. The man shook his head dreadfully. Something's truly not right here. Even Akano could feel it in his guts.

The gust of wind kicked dust and dirt around the group. Everyone had their heads hung low to shield their eyes from the brown dust tornado.

 _"Landing in 3...2-"_

 _"Contact! Your five!"_ The Apache warned before letting out a volley of 20mm rounds from the M197 gatling cannon.

Incoming enemy rounds hit the Chinook's right side, causing significant damage. The gunner on the shoulder window responded, the M240 barked angrily, red flashing strobes shot out of the muzzle.

The operators suddenly spun towards the sound of battle, firing back at the enemy while they slowly backed away from the evac site.

 _"Fuck! Co-pilot's hit! Godfather, we're pulling out! LZ's too hot! I repeat: LZ's too-"_

A rocket shot out from the enemy position and soared across the construction site. The warhead hit the helicopter's head, instantly killing the remaining crewmembers. The explosion ripped the big transport in half. The blazing debris fell near the operators, almost crushing the squad.

 _"Hawk 3-1's down! This is Cobra 8-6! Pulling out!"_ The attack helicopter's pilot reported urgently.

The last helicopter swirved to the side and vacated the hot landing zone in a hurry, leaving the men and women on the ground on their own. Fortunately for them, the initial dust cloud from the scorching Chinook was thick enough to cover their retreat.

The group ran out of the failed exfil site. They headed straight for another building. Some of the operators hurled smoke grenades behind them to mask their retreat. Some used their grenade launchers to fire back at the enemy and cause them as much damage as possible.

Akano ran ahead of the group, approaching their improvised hideout. He threw himself at the glass storefront, landing face first against the floor. His men got through the improvised access point without questioning. The squad split in half, one half stayed on the ground floor while the other cleared the upper levels of the restaurant. The officer groggily stood back up, clutching his throbbing head.

"That was pretty stupid on your part, LT," Sergeant First Class Saitama said with a sly grin.

The officer showed him the middle finger and addressed to Fukumoto, "Blow the building up,"

The operator nodded and pressed the detonator. A resounding explosion could be heard across the district, catching the attention of nearby hostile forces. This distraction proved to be a success as their pursuers abandonned their chase and withdrew. The squad collectively sighed in relief before they started to barricade their hideout.

"Godfather, this is Stalker 0-1, requesting immediate evac and additional air support. We're currently hold up in a restaurant South South West from the primary exfil site. How copy? Over,"

 _"Solid copy, Stalker 0-1. Request denied as of right now. All air assets are unavailable. Ground forces are currently fending off a counter-offensive. You're on your own, sit tight for any mission update. Godfather out,"_

" 'Sit tight for mission update', that's great fucking advice," Akano said sarcastically.

"So?" Asked Fukumoto.

"We're on our own for now. Godfather can't do shit as we speak," Akano informed his men, causing some to groan and complain angrily, "Yeah, I'm as pissed as the rest of you. But we still have mission, to suck it up and put your game faces back on. Clear?"

"Hai..." They replied bitterly.

* * *

About an hour has gone by. The operators waited impatiently for their evacuation but there was no word from the higher ups. They were getting restless and frustrated. During their painfully long wait, the main force managed to fend off the digimon army before they launched their third counter-offensive.

Tally let out another yawn before taking her phone out. She was sitting against the wall next the restroom. Her clothes were dirty, her face and hair messed up with sweat and dirt. But she didn't care about that. She instead wanted to escape her current situation. Opening her photo album, she gazed at pictures of her family and friends, easing her mind. She smiled sadly. She then stopped at a picture of herself, her little brother and their dog.

"Is that your kid?" Asked a curious voice above her.

She perked her head up and was greeted to the familiar operator she met earlier. "No, he's my little brother,"

The operator leaned in and looked at the dog, "Adorable puppy you've got there," He commented, "What breed is it?"

"Thanks. She's a black labrador... I named her 'Asuka',"

"From the anime?" He asked with a childish excitment. She nodded timidly. "No way!"

"Way,"

He sat down next to her, "I'm big fan of that anime," He said. She giggled in response, finding it funny that a cold-blooded and buff operator would be a fan of anime. He then lend his hand out, "We didn't actually formally greet each other. Call me Akihiro, or 'Hiro' if you want,"

She took his hand and shook it, "Tally," She replied with a soft smile, feeling her cheeks heating up once again.

Unfortunately for them, their conversation ended abruptly when the entire group heard a loud explosion detonating near their hideout. Akihiro sprung up and quickly assembled with his squad. Tally, Riley and Yamaki were immediately ushered to the "safe room"... which was basically the kitchen.

"Ah crap... Lieutenant! We've got multiple tangos egressing on us. At least four to five dozen foot mobiles!" Aïto reported dreadfully as everyone took their position on the windows and barricades.

"Godfather, this is Stalker 0-1, where the fuck is our air support now?! We've got a whole company, possibly a battalion merging on our position and we're low on numbers and munition. How copy? Over!" Akano requested impatiently.

"Incoming!" Saitama cried out after hearing the initial " _foomp_ " of a mortar.

By a miracle, the mortar shell landed harmlessly on the street in front of the building, hissing and heating until it went dead. The operators retaliated shortly after, opening fire at the wave of hostile soldiers at the construction site. Rounds were being exchanged from both sides. Strobes of ligths and tracers whizzed and zipped across the street.

"Kenji! Get that forty up now!" The squad leader ordered.

The squad's heavy weapons specialist picked up the M320 grenade launcher and loaded a H.E round. A light "thump" shot out of the launcher. A loud explosion blew apart an enemy squad.

The fire team on the first floor ducked under the windows as a volley of machine gun fire swept across the building, pinning them down.

"Godfather! We're pinned down! Requesting immediate support ASAP!" Akano demanded urgently.

"Ah fuck!"

"Tanaka's hit!"

Akihiro slid to the wounded man and began first aid response. He inspected the wound, a gunshot to the abdomen with no exit. While he was treating the wound, the rest of the fire team fired back, keeping the enemy at bay as long as possible.

Another explosion erupted near them, the shockwave was strong enough to push down the operators on the ground floor. This left the building to be temporarely vulnerable and defenseless as the operators tried to recover from the concussion.

A small team of enemy shock troopers sprinted towards the target building. Leading this team was a Sealsdramon. The cybernetic soldier launched itself into the building. It drew out its combat knife, the blade poised to stab the first human operator on the spot. Then four bullets penetrated its body armour, blood gushed out of the wounds, severely wounding the digimon.

Yamaki and Riley ran out of the kitchen and took cover behind the bar, laying down suppressive fire. Tally shortly joined them though terrified. She ducked behind cover and started to breathe frantically. Her grasp on the pistol was loose, her hands trembling anxiously.

"Come on, Tally! We need your help right now!" Yamaki said firmly, reloading his pistol.

The young blonde breathed out and rose up. She took aim and fired her first shot. The handgun's slide jerked back, the recoil kicked in her hands. The bullet flew out of the restaurant's storefront, hitting a digimon in the chest. Feeling the adrenaline kicking in her veins, she carefully took another aim and pulled the trigger. A bullet flew back at her, narrowly missing her face. She screamed and ducked back under the counter. Faint ringing echoed in her right ear.

Fortunately, their timely intervention gave enough time for the fire team to recover and fight back. The enemy shock troopers were neutralized soon after.

The situation was becoming dire for the humans barricaded in the restaurant. The enemy was closing in on them with a larger force and armour support. Ammunation was running low and the operators lost one of their own in the insuing firefight and three were severely wounded, drastically reducing their defensive capabilities. This was going to be their last stand, and all of them bitterly accepted that fate.

However that fate was not for them today. Incoming missiles flew at the enemy, decimating their forces in a series of spectacular and fiery explosions. The air cavalry has arrived. Sweeping down were three AH-64D Apaches, spewing out volleys of rockets and 30mm rounds. This sudden attack had devastating effect on the enemy. Following behind the attack helicopters were two Chinooks, making their landing at the hot landing site.

Relieved and overjoyed, the operators and the civilians prepared themselves to evacuate the vicinity.

Once the transport helicopters touched down, Marines fanned out and formed a firing line, providing cover fire for the group. A Marine officer ran towards the group, searching for the squad leader. Akano respectfully greeted the Marine and gave him a brief report of the situation.

"We need to evacuate our wounded and the civilians now!" Akano informed Richards loudly.

"Got it! Get them on the right transport!" Richards replied by pointing at the specified Chinook.

Akano gave him a thumbs up and hollered at his men to hurry up with the evacuation. The operators helped the wounded and civilians get on board first before they carried the bodybag of their fallen comrade into the helicopter.

Once they were on board, Richards ordered his Marines to pull back. The Americans quickly embarked in the Chinooks under the suppressive fire of the Apaches. Multiple rounds struck the helicopters, being big and easy targets for the enemy. Despite the significant damages they took, they were able to leave the landing site and fly back to base.

Yamaki heaved out a sigh of relief. He swept a hand across his forehead, wiping away the grime and sweat off. To his right sat Riley and Tally, both were exhausted from the dangerous mission. Riley, in addition, was upset, her laptop had been shot by a stray bullet, saving her but losing in exchange the expensive computer she bought weeks ago. The head of Hypnos glanced at the passengers of the helicopters. The operators seemed to relax with a few who chatted with the Marine that sat in front of him. He glanced further to the rear of the transport and spotted two familiar faces... including one he didn't want to see.

Richards and Raymond conversed among themselves, occasionally staring back Yamaki and his employees. They didn't seem too keen on seeing the man either that previously costed them precious time. The Staff Sergeant also seemed to frown at him.

"Mitsuo!" An irritated voice snapped at him, bringing his attention to Riley, "So? Are you going to pay for my laptop?"

"What?! You bought it before, why can't you buy a new one yourself?" He asked back in confusion, failing to notice her glare.

"Because _I_ worked my ass off for this laptop, taking the nightshift each time you gave me one _and_ you also put me and Tally in a dangerous mission at the last minute. So yeah, you are going to buy me a new one," She explained in frustration.

"But I'm your boss, Riley, do not forget about that," Yamaki replied with a frown, not liking her current mood.

She grabbed hold of his suit and roughly pulled him closer to her, "Dear, I'm _ordering_ you as your girlfriend, not _asking_ you as an employee. Got it?" If looks could kill, he would surely be dead by now.

"Y-yes, honey..." He replied shakingly.

"Try to intimidate me one more time and I will break your right hand," She warned him before planting a brief kiss on his cheek.

Yamaki silently put some distance between him and his girlfriend. He had completely forgotten that he was dating the chief operator as well as a revered martial artist. She can and probably will break him if he stepped out of line... even as his boss. Being the indepedant woman that she is was the personality trait that made him fall in love with her, but it was also one that could cost him his life.

He shivered at that thought and decided to take a nap instead, finally letting fatigue to take over him. If only he could.

The helicopter roughly jolted as it landed. Raymond hollered out an order. The Marines and operators automatically disembarked, carrying the bodybag in the process. The civilians were the last ones out and were quickly shoved towards a military tent. Yamaki had a brief look around him, they were in Shinjuku, in the national park to be exact... well what was left of it anyways.

Though the tent was wide, it was tightly cramped by crates, radios and working military personnel. Yamaki, Riley and Tally were soon greeted to a group of Marines, discussing in front of a rolling whiteboard. One of the Marines was a senior looking man but held an air of stern authority around him. That man turned and faced the three civilians with a stoic stare.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Eversman of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and I presume you are the Hypnos agents that Kimizuka has spoken about," The older man stated in fluent Japanese, surprising the trio.

"That is correct," Yamaki replied plainly.

"He told me that you have a solution to end this battle, am I correct?" Yamaki's right eye twitched in irritation. Again, this was the second time that the military prevented him and his team from winning the battle. He released a shaky breath and nodded in response. "You think you can do that here?" Eversman nodded his head at a corner of the tent, where three high-tech laptops and tablets sat on large olive drab crates.

"With all due respect, Colonel, my team does have more efficient equipment back at the-" He didn't finish his sentence as Eversman interrupted him with bad news.

"Haneda Airport is under attack as we speak," He began somberly, "The opposition force in Odaiba managed to pierce through our lines and are using air support and light infantry to overrun the aiport. The chain of command of the Eastern Army is on the verge of collapse. You are now under my responsibility. I urge you to stay here and activate that program," He walked to a crate to pick up a tablet. He presented the screen to Yamaki.

The "Yuggoth" program file was in there, much to his surprise. He quickly grabbed the tablet, baffled as to how the military managed to get access to Hypnos's data.

"Navy SEALs raided your HQ before it was attacked by the enemy. They took everything they could in the ensuing firefight. Four of them died over there. I hope they didn't die in vain, Yamaki," Eversman then faced the Marines in front of him, "Richards, get your platoon to stock up on ammo. You'll be redeployed to the airport in ten mikes. Dismissed,"

Richards sharply saluted and left the tent with his Marines in tow. Eversman watched them in silence. He sighed heavily, the situation was getting out of control. One time they were winning, the next they were falling back. This tug of war is costing them lives... many brave lives. The high ranking officer turned around to gaze at Yamaki, still standing in his spot with a frown while his two employees helplessly stood behind him, feeling exhausted and a bit out of place in the military environment.

"Yamaki," He called out to him, "If you really think you need your equipment to activate that program, then I suggest you hurry up and join the Marines. Though I cannot guarantee your safety or the ones of your employees. If they die, you're responsible for that. You will be on your own out there," He stated bluntly and firmly, making sure that his message go through the man's head.

"Thank you, Colonel," Yamaki said sincerely and left the tent in a hurry with Riley and Tally right behind him.

* * *

 _Haneda Airport FOB._

A fierce battle took place on the aiport's runway. Japanese and American forces fought off the lighting attack of the Digimon army. The sudden assault caught the humans by surprise. The enemy used their air assets to fly over friendly lines and launch precise and devastating blows at the airport. Then aerial digimon swooped down and attacked the defenders head on. Such manoeuvre and speed was poorly countered by the JSDF, the first line of defense. It was only when the enemy stepped foot on land that they were able to fight back.

The initial surprise attack decimated the JSDF's air assets, reducing their air power and capability. The humans have lost their air superiority.

Tanks and light armoured vehicles formed a firing line and unleashed hell on the enemy, spitting out shells and heavy hitting rounds. Taking cover behind the armoured line were Japanese and American soldiers, laying down hails of bullets into the storm. Their volume of fire was overwhelming, easily wiping out large groups of aerial foot mobiles, however they lacked cover and mobility.

Several digimon took to the sky, flying over the battlefield, preparing for retaliation. A giant red bird-like digimon dove head first before it spread its wings to hover in place. The creature then flapped its mighty wings forward, shooting out a volley of razor-sharp feathers.

"Stealth Quarrel!" It shouted with a deep and powerful voice.

"Incoming!" A soldier yelled in panic.

"Fucking spread out!" An officer shouted sternly.

Unfortunately the feathers were already halfway down on them before they could make a run. The attack had a wide spread, resulting with multiple soldiers gravely wounded or dead from the deadly rain. That attack was then followed by streams of fire, spewed out by flaming birds.

The cries of the dying filled the air, distorted by the flames as they slowly die. The combined attacks has dealt a significant blow to the humans' morale and fighting capability. They were simply unmatched against their powerful enemy.

Aerial digimon dove on the humans and started to pick them off one by one. A bloody and horrific sight ensued. The digimon were merciless, they crushed, clawed, stabbed and threw the humans, leaving no survivors in their path. The vehicles, losing their infantry support, were easily toppled and destroyed by the rest of the enemy force. The enemy was gaining ground and they were approaching the airport, where thousands of civilians still cowered behind the military.

Itami and his team quickly got off the transport truck and ran towards the new frontline with the rest of the battalion. They were hastilly trying to form a defensive line to keep the enemy at bay but each attempt seemed to fail. They were desperate, Itami could see this, they were fighting a losing battle. It was only a matter of time before they ran out of soldiers before the civilians were next.

He could feel his heart beating anxiously. This was not what he signed up for. He knew that the higher ups were now using them as cannon fodder to buy themselves enough time to evacuate the civilians. Sweat poured out of his body, adrenaline mixed with primal fear blurred his vision and rational thoughts.

 _"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"_ He repeated rapidly in his head.

His grasp on his weapon was beginning to loosen, he started to breathe rapidly as he approached the fray. Further ahead, he could see hundreds of corpses and vehicle carcasses scattered across the tarmac. The heavy scent of blood and gunpowder assaulted his nose. He couldn't take much of this mess...this horrible mess. He wasn't ready to die... not like this.

"Fire at will!" He heard Captain Sawano shouting sternly, "Do not let them get pass us! Protect the civilians with your lives!"

"RYOUKAI!" The whole company yelled in reply. Eventhough it was a mixture of fear, apprehension and determination, it was enough to boost the morale of those around them, Itami included.

The vehicles from their convoy branched off and spread out behind the infantry formation, providing heavy support and resupply points.

Snapping out of his panicking state, he looked ahead to find his team already engaging the enemy. He sped up his pace to catch up with them. Tomita seemed to be taking charge of the recon team, standing bravely behind them while they were seeking cover.

"Aim for the birds! Shoot their wings!" He ordered firmly as he fired a couple of bursts from his rifle.

Itami knelt beside him and raised his rifle, firing semi-automatic and accurate shots. His rifle clicked empty, prompting him to reload his weapon. While doing so, he spotted a heavy weapons squad moving towards two abandonned trucks, exposing themselves in the open without additional support.

"Third Recon on me! To the left!" He shouted as he ran after the mortar team and anti-tank team.

To his mild surprise, his soldiers obeyed to his order without question, laying down suppressive while they were on the move. Once they joined the heavy weapons squad, they set up a firing position behind the two vehicles while the mortars were being installed behind them. Joining them to the vehicles was the AT team.

The distinct _"thumps"_ of the mortars made his heart vibrate. He could see the shells hitting their marks farther ahead, killing a couple of digimon. But the enemy had wings, dodging mortar shells would be easy for them.

"Red Sun!"

"Look out!" Furata yelled before diving for the ground.

Everyone quickly hit the ground. One of the AT soldier did not hear him. A powerful laser beam cut through the trucks and the man, cleanly slicing him in half. Itami heard the top body part hit the ground with a sickening _"squish"_ near him. He peeked to his right and gasped in horror to find the sliced corpse lying beside him. He nearly gagged until Kuribayashi's voice caught his attention.

"What are your orders, sir?" She demanded firmly, staring at him with steely determination. He wished he had her ballsy courage... without her sadistic personality of course.

He was about to respond when all of the sudden a large shadow flew overhead them, catching their attention to the sky. They all gasped in shock and fear, seeing a large size dragon looming over the battlefield.

"Get the panzerfausts and focus your fire on that fucking dragon!" Itami yelled sternly.

"Uh, sir, I know it's in the tradition of the jietai to fight giant monsters but a-are sure you want to take on _that_ dragon?" Kurata asked nervously.

"If we don't act now then it will fry us for good," Itami replied firmly, "I do not want to end up as a roasted chicken... or a kebab for that matter," He added sheepishly. Kuribayashi stared at her superior with a deadpan expression.

Tomita, Katsumoto and Furuta picked up the heavy weapons team's rocket launchers and took their firing position, shouldering the launchers and aiming upwards at the giant blue dragon.

"Check backblast!" Tomita ordered at the two leading privates.

"Clear!" They shouted.

"On your go, lieutenant!"

Itami took a good look at the dragon, assuming that the creature wasn't going to move from its spot.

"Open fire, Katsumoto!"

The large soldier nodded and pulled the trigger. A sharp detonation rocked the earth around them, the warhead soared to the sky, leaving behind a trail of smoke as it sped towards its target.

The rocket scored a direct hit on its target, exploding on the dragon's chest and engulfing it in flames and smoke. The flying digimon let out a pained roar, echoing loudly through the air. The soldiers on the ground cheered happily, relieved that their biggest threat was out of the fight... or so they believed to be.

"JSDF: one, Dragon: zeroooo...oh crap..." Once the smoke cleared, Itami's smile turned upside down and gaped in horror.

The cheers of victory were soon replaced with stunned silence, the soldiers of Third Recon Team stared at the sky with wide eyes and gaped mouths. The dragon was still hovering in its original, lightly injured by the rocket blast. There were a few hollow cuts and long, bleeding gashes on its chest but it was still alive and angrier, glaring furiously at the men who dared to fire at it.

Katsumoto gulped nervously, feeling the dragon staring deep in his soul.

"You see what I mean?! We're totally screwed now!" Kurata said frantically, paling once the creature fully turned at them.

The dragon flapped its massive wings, making its slow descent towards them. The mortar team behind them were already starting to pack up and run for their lives. Tomita looked nervously at Itami, waiting anxiously for an order from the officer. Itami stared back and nodded firmly.

"Fire at will!" He ordered sternly.

His soldiers obeyed and started to fire with everything they've got, drawing the dragon's full focus on them. Furuta fired the second rocket, scoring another direct hit that slowed the digimon down. Tomita fired the third rocket, barely missing and hitting its left wing, causing some significant damage as patches of the leathery skin was burnt, causing more pain. However their bullets had no effect on it, bouncing off its scales like plastic pellets from an airsoft gun.

As the dragon got closer by the seconds, it recoiled its head back, flames licked the air through its slightly opened maw.

"Scram! Spread out!" Itami yelled at his team.

The team branched off in different directions however the dragon had already shot out a stream of fire, ready to roast them in any second.

"Om!" A powerful voice shouted over them.

They all dove for the ground and awaited for their fate. They all felt the intense heat washing over them but they weren't being roasted alive, not even lightly burnt. Looking back up from his position, Itami saw a tall, fox-like priestess hovering between them and a wave of fire. The priestess seemed to be holding a gigantic traditional brush over the humans, a transparent forcefield blocked the inferno's path.

Somehow he felt like he knew that strange looking individual.

"Rapid Fire!" Cried another voice courageously.

Multiple missiles soared at the dragon's side, causing serious damage as it staggered back, roaring in pain and flying to a different location, away from the two other flying digimon.

"It's those digimon from Shinjuku!" Leading private Tozu said with surprise before he cheered at them, "Go get 'em! Hahaha!"

The flying priestess turned around and adressed to the soldiers on the ground, "Relocate and get behind cover. Focus on the smaller targets, we'll handle the big ones," She instructed calmly and firmly.

"And remember that we're on your side!" Rapidmon added as he flew past her, engaging the blue dragon.

"You heard her! Fall back!" Itami ordered with an authoritative voice, pulling his team's attention back on him. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at the priestess, "Thank you for saving us, Rena-"

"Taomon, Lieutenant," She corrected formally.

"Right... Good luck out there," He saluted her and ran back with his team.

Taomon bowed at the man and spun back at the injured Wingdramon, locked in combat with Rapidmon. Though her fellow companion had the speed to match the dragon's, he however lacks firepower, resistance and a little bit of tactics.

"Where are you, Wa-"

"Large dino coming through!" Shouted Wargrowlmon as he flew over the humans and past her.

"Late as usual..." She muttered under breath before she joined her battle-brothers in combat.

Rapidmon fired another volley of missiles at Wingdramon, suppressing the opponent from retaliating. Unfortunately, Wingdramon was now used to the cyborg's plain and simple tactic, dodging most of the missiles and readying the lance on its back to pierce him. The dragon was closing in fast, causing Rapidmon to back away in panic. Then a massive red blur passed him in the blink of an eye.

"Hammer Edge!"

Wargrowlmon threw a powerful punch at Wingdramon's head, cracking the bones of its snout and sent it flying off course. Energy started to build up in his chest-mounted cannon and he took aim at his target.

"Atomic Blaster!"

Two energy beams shot out of the cannons and slammed onto the dragon, sending it farther away from him and his companions.

"About time you showed up, pal," Rapidmon remarked with a sly grin.

"Eh... sorry about that but Takato didn't thought of actually letting me out of the camp before using the blue card," Wargrowlmon explained sheepishly.

"I bet Rika is slamming his gogglehead to the ground," Taomon quipped as she flew to his side.

"Probably," He shrugged back, "Guys ready to take him down?" He asked with a knowing smirk.

"I say we fry that oversized salamander!" Rapidmon said enthusiastically.

"Let's just get on with it," Taomon groaned impatiently before she flew ahead of the two cyborg digimon.

Rapidmon glanced at Wargrowlmon curiously, "Do you think it's that time of the mon-"

"Bye!" Wargrowlmon flew behind Taomon, leaving him behind.

"H-hey, no fair!" He yelled while chasing after them.

* * *

The Chinook rumbled again, shaking the Marines in the compartment. They all swore in surprise, trying to get a sight on the battlefield that was happening at the airport. Raymond could hear the radio chatters going wild, multiple sources spoke nervously and frantically through the comms, eventually spewing out incoherent words. The pilot and co-pilot were trying to get a clear reading on the radio, unable to comprehend the current situation at the FOB.

"Whoa!" The pilot suddenly exclaimed.

Raymond snapped his head to the cockpit and could barely distinguish a dogfight between their air force and the enemy's. Then the faint silhouette of a massive dragon could be seen through the cockpit, surprising him and both pilots.

"Are those three fighting it?" The co-pilot asked with confusion in his voice.

"Dunno, man, but they seem to beat the shit out of that lizard," The other replied with awe, "W-wait... is that a woman or a fox?"

"Maybe both? I can't tell with the robes..."

Now Raymond was curious. He tried to stand up but his rear immediately slammed back on the seat as the helicopter shook violently.

"Christ! That was a close one!" The side gunner on the shoulder window exclaimed.

"Hang on, boys, this will be a bumpy landing," The co-pilot informed the Marines coolly.

A couple of stray rounds hit the large transport helicopter, the side gunners fired back, letting the formidable M240s spew out a rain of 7.62mm rounds. A crack formed on the cockpit, followed by a pained gasp.

"Man down," The pilot announced calmly, glancing at his partner, "You alright?"

"Y-yeah, just took a hit on the helmet..." The co-pilot groaned.

"You're bleeding, dude,"

"It's fine... at least I didn't get hit through the skull..."

The helicopter shook again as the pilot turned its large body to the right, avoiding another rocket strike. It descended rapidly towards the tarmac, shaking uncontrollably while the pilots fought with the controls to stabilise it while hoping they weren't going to blow up in the air.

For the Marines, this was the most stressful minutes of their lives. While on the ground they could be in control of themselves in a hectic firefight; in the air, their lives depended on the skills and luck of the two pilots. It takes one rocket to turn them into a fiery ball of death.

"Brace!" The pilot shouted.

Raymond, like the other Marines, clenched his sphincter tightly and held his breath while grasping onto his seat for dear life. The Chinook rocked upon landing, throwing some Marines off their seats, causing others to throw up or, like him, bang their heads against the metallic frame.

A mild throbbing pain hung in his head, good thing he had a helmet on.

"Move out!" He shouted sternly through the groans and moans of the men.

Groggily, the men got out of the Chinook and quickly made a run for the nearest friendly position. The second Chinook landed a lot smoothly than the first, Richards led the rest of the platoon to the regroup point.

The Chinooks quickly took off as other transport helicopters dropped off more troops and supplies. Taking cover behind a line of concrete walls and vehicles, Richards was being briefed by a paratrooper Captain while Raymond commanded the platoon in the firefight, awaiting for further orders.

"Aim for the wings, Marines!" He instructed loud and clear over the snaps and cracks of bullets around him.

"Staff Sergeant! Looks like your friends are in the fight as well!" Dukeman pointed out with surprise in his voice.

Raymond looked around before he spotted a green blur flying in the sky. His eyes widened once he recognised three digimon pitting against a Wingdramon.

"Looks like they're beating the shit out of that dragon!" Another Marine commented.

"Focus on the enemy up front! Let them handle the rest!" He retorted sternly, throwing one last glance at Wargrowlmon, Rapidmon and Taomon.

Now with additional numbers and support, the defenders were able to hold the enemy force at bay. However, with their forces spread too thin and attacked on different sides simultaneously, the humans needed firepower to defeat the digimon army once and for all.

In the air, attack jets joined the dogfight, assisting the trio friendly digimon against Wingdramon and other aerial digimon. Although the aircrafts' speed matched with the digimon, they lacked agility and freedom of movement in the air, greatly outmanoeuvred by the winged creatures.

Taomon turned around and helplessly watched the jets getting picked off by the enemy. She sneered and faced her opponent once again. Wingdramon, though outnumbered and heavily injured, was still fighting in full strenght, undeterred and unintimidated by their presence. In fact, it just got angrier and ferocious.

As for her and her companions, they were getting exhausted, sustaining minor injuries, except for Wargrowlmon, lacking speed meant that he had to tank most of Wingdramon's attacks. Both he and Rapidmon fired another barrage of missiles at the dragon, causing significant damage on the target.

Wingdramon howled in pain and flew upward, giving its foes distance. The two male digimon flew at Taomon's sides, huffing and panting tiredly.

"Any ideas, Taomon?" Wargrowlmon asked, gazing at her with confidence and determination.

She gazed back at him and smiled softly before frowning and staring at their opponent, "We've caused it enough damage however it can still kill us if we're not careful enough," She stated coolly, "It's giving us distance but it will prepare for a strong attack, and right now, we're in the way of the humans,"

"So should we combine?" Rapidmon asked hopefully.

She nodded in response, "Get into position, our combined attack should be enough to kill it,"

"Oohah..." Wargrowlmon said beneath his tired breath.

Forming a triangle in the air, the three digimon focused on gathering their energy to perform their strongest attack. Light and data started to shine from within, weaving out of their bodies and interlocking with one another. Meanwhile, Wingdramon has begun its attack, gathering speed as it dived down towards the three digimon and the humans, using the shockwave to wipe out their formation.

The triangle began to shine as it completed its formation. With no time to spare, Taomon, Wargrowlmon and Rapidmon glared at their foe and shouted passionately in unison, their voices filled with determination.

"Trinity Burst!"

A single, huge and colourful beam shot out of the triangular light, soaring towards Wingdramon. In the blink of an eye, the powerful beam pierced and engulfed the dragon. It cried out in agony, feeling its digicore burning by the beam before it exploded in the air into thousands of data particles.

The subsequent explosion caused a massive shockwave rippling throughout the battlefield. The shockwave was so strong that it ceased the battle, silence reigned over the war torn city for a couple of seconds.

All three digimon breathed heavily, feeling their energy depleting. Taomon stared at the ground below her, noticing that the firefight halted. Then a scream of joy broke that silence, followed by many others before the whole airport was filled with roars and cheers of victory, the humans were praising them. They looked at each other with a tired smile, inspired by these praises.

Unfortunately their victory celebration was cut short when the enemy fought back, replacing the cheers with gunshots and explosions.

"Come on, we have a job to finish," Wargrowlmon finally spoke, charging towards the nearest enemy unit.

"We're right behind you," Taomon replied as she and Rapidmon followed him, ready to face their next opponents.

Back on the ground, the fight resumed, this time the humans charged. With one major threat out of the picture, the armoured line advanced with the infantry behind. They were now determined to retake their land and fend off the invaders.

"Marines, on me!" Richards yelled sternly as he leads his men forward.

The platoon advanced, unleashing hails of bullets at the enemy. The invaders were losing their foothold on the airport's runway, fleeing the battlefield before they could be crushed by the tanks, helicopters and the U.S Navy. The humans pressed on, continuing with their unrelenting volleys of rounds and shells. The tide has changed once again, the humans were back on the offensive. After minutes of gruelling combat, Haneda Airport was back to friendly hands.

* * *

In the airport, Yamaki silently watched the three digimon that helped the soldiers in their fight. His team were busy with recollecting and storing their data in USB drives while destroying any "unnecessary equipment" once it was cleared from any important information. He had mixed feelings plaging his mind, he felt anger and frustration but also guilt and remorse. He did not know what to think of their new _"allies"_ – that word had a bitter taste in his mind – who he tried to eliminate for the past year. He knew them and their tamers, they've met on occasions. But now, after he witnessed them fighting bravely with the soldiers, he was doubting himself and his plan.

 _"Sacrifices must be made to win this fight, and if they had to die, then it will be the price to pay, for the survival and stability of our species,"_ Yamaki thought coldly. He had orders to follow, these digimon may have earned their respect from him, but they will perish nonetheless, _"At least they'll die as heroes... I guess,"_ His eyes furrowed into a scowl.

He turned around and saw that his team have already completed their tasks. Files were being burnt in garbage cans while a rubble of destroyed computers, tablets and smartphones were piled in a corner.

"Riley, Tally and Tōya, you're coming with me, rest of you evacuate with the civilians," He instructed firmly. His employees at first hesitated, confused by their superior's instruction, "Go home while you still can," He insisted coldly.

Reluctantly, they left him and the three others he designated. Riley stared at him with puzzlement. She frowned and raised an eyebrow, expecting him to explain.

"The enemy is retreating, the military will go on the offensive again. This is our last shot to close that gate and end this battle today," His stoic gaze shifted to Tōya, a surveillance operative, "You served in the jietai before, right?"

"Yes, sir, five years," Tōya answered truthfully.

"Good, because we're returning to Ginza for our next mission,"

"Eh? Are you sure this is a good idea? Have you forgotten about last time we've been there?!" Tally exclaimed angrily, "It's suicide out there!"

"Tally-san, the Americans are going to make that push through Ginza," He said certaintly, "We'll be protected by them,"

"But can't we just close the gate from here?" Riley asked.

"Not anymore, not since the Americans have raided our HQ," He took the tablet in her hand and showed a screen of the current status of Hypnos's HQ, "Signal's lost, probably destroyed by them. We have to get close enough to hack into the gate's mainframe and activate Yuggoth,"

"Like a virus?" Toya guessed unsurely.

"Kinda," Yamaki responded, "Now let's meet up with Kimizuka and hopefully get ourselves a ride to the frontline,"

* * *

Soldiers, American and Japanese, were gathered around the three digimon - reverted to their Rookie forms- Richards and Raymond, watching curiously and with awe at the monsters who helped them. Pushing through the crowd of soldiers, three teenagers finally emerged in the middle of the crowd. They rushed past Raymond and Richards and hugged their respective digimon partners.

"I thought they had you guys evacuated," Raymond said in confusion at the tamers and digimon.

"We... had some issues with security," Takato began sheepishly.

"Good thing my dad was there to explain everything to the commander," Henry informed with relief.

"Yeah, they even dared to point their weapons at me!" Exclaimed Terriermon, resting on his tamer's head, "They were about to shoot at a cute, little bunny like me," He huffed, crossing his tiny arms across his chest.

"You forgot to add 'loud and obnoxious'," Quipped Renamon, making Guilmon and Rika snicker in response.

Terriermon let out horrified gasp, as if she offended God directly, "Henry!" He demanded swift retaliation, but he instead felt the boy's shoulders shrug in response.

"I'm sorry, pal, but she's right," Henry chuckled.

"Out of the way!" A stern voice cried behind the crowd.

"Crap, Major's here!" Another said frantically.

As if commanded by that voice, the soldiers cleared a path to three individuals: two officers and a radio operator. The man at the head of the group was a Major from the USFJ, by his side was the First Lieutenant and the radio operator, a Corporal.

Both Richards and Raymond snapped at attention, saluting the Major. He saluted back in a more relaxed manner and eyed the teenagers and digimon.

"Were you the three creatures that helped us?" He asked them. All three digimon nodded in unison,"And you must be the tamers?" He addressed to the teenagers. They mimicked their partner's response. "You're all coming with me," He instructed firmly, leaving no room for discussion, "And you two aswell," He pointed at the two Marines.

Hesitantly, they all followed the officer back in the airport. Richards had to wave at his men to stay in the vicinity. Raymond took a few steps ahead of the lieutenant and walked closely beside the Major.

"Interrogative, Major: why did you call us?"

The Major smirked and gazed at the Marine, "Staff Sergeant, I have a special mission for you, the Marines and those digital monsters. We're about to end the battle today," He answered confidently.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Haneda Airport FOB, 40 hours since enemy contact._

Richards and Raymond stood straightly before the Major, beside them were the digimon and their tamers, standing confusely while waiting for the officer to speak. The base's command post was a mess, it took a missile at the start of the airport invasion, taking out a great number of personel, Lieutenant General Kimizuka included. Yamaki and his three employees were also present as the Major presents the mission brief.

"The Eastern Army is on the brink of collapse. The First Division is holding onto this airport while the Twelfth Brigade is preparing to jump over Ginza," Major Brodbin informed them before facing the Marines, "We will be taking over from here. We're launching our next offensive, our target: the gate," He then pointed at Yamaki and his team, "These civilians do have the solution to our problem, a program that will close the gate shut, cutting the enemy from receiving any reinforcements or supplies. Once they're cut off from their world, we will bring down hell and destroy them,"

"You want us to escort them to Ginza, sir?" Richard asked uncertaintly.

"Not just them, you will also bring them with you," Brodbin added while motioning to the tamers and digimon, "You know them, fought with them, so there shouldn't be any problem in terms of unit cohesion,"

"You want us to bring the kids to the frontline?" Raymond asked incredulously.

"Well they do need them to digivolve and get upgrades, no?"

The tamers looked at each other nervously, not expecting themselves to participate in the battle.

"Sir, we can protect Yamaki and his team and even allow the digimons to fight with us but we can't ensure their safety once we're in a firefight, they might get in the way or be killed. It is extremely danger-" Richards was interrupted by Yamaki's raised hand.

"Lieutenant, the tamers will be fine, they won't be with us to the frontline. We have access to drones over the battlefield, they'll be able to see their partners in battle and help them out when needed," Yamaki explained, "However we do need them to digivolve back to their Ultimate forms,"

"Indeed, we are expecting tough resistance. Yamaki and his team have identified their leader, a, uh, Macholiomon? Lionmon? Umm...," Yamaki showed a picture of BanchoLeomon to the others, "That guy! He's our high value target. From what Yamaki told me, he's a powerful foe so the digimons will have to deal with him eventually,"

"And if we fail?" Renamon finally spoke up, surprising everyone, except Rika, who just crossed her arms and glare at Yamaki.

"We'll call in air support and blow that fucker back where he came from," The Major answered coldly. "Any questions?"

"How come we are the only ones to be assigned to this mission?" Richards asked, "We're just a platoon, sir, we don't have the numbers nor the necessary firepower to protect them,"

"Actually, you do, Lieutenant," Brodbin answered plainly, "All forces are being deployed as we speak. You'll be deployed with us behind enemy lines by air. The SDF's armoured convoy is already putting pressure on the enemy as we speak. Colonel Eversman is aware and has approved this mission," The two Marines seemed to be satisfied with the answer, standing still in silence.

"Gents, you'll be moving out in ten mikes. Restock in ammo and weapons if necessary and meet up at the hangar with Yamaki and his team, the digimons will need to evolve and follow you by air. God speed and Semper Fi, Marines,"

* * *

Dozens of F-35Cs and F/A-18F Super Hornets soared past the squadrons of transport and attack helicopters, heading towards Ginza where a fierce battle is taking place. Flying ahead of the formation were three Ultimate-level digimon. The multirole fighters unleashed hell from above, dropping bombs on the enemy while taking on the few aerial digimon in a sporadic dogfight.

On the ground, Japanese and Americans forces punched through the digimon's heavy resistance. Both factions were inflicted by heavy casualties in the ensuing firefight but the humans managed to push through, finally forcing the digimon on the retreat. The fight wasn't over, this was just the beginning.

" _Zulu 2-1, this is Reaper 1 Leader, we will break formation and take out any ground elements in the AO. How copy? Over,"_ The leader of the AH-1Z Viper squadron reported.

" _Solid copy, Reaper 1 Leader. Clear the way and good luck out there,"_ Came the calm response from Zulu 2-1.

" _Roger that. To all Reapers, break formation."_

As ordered, the squadron branched off and flew ahead of the formation. One of the attack helicopters flew beside the digimon and the pilot gave them a sharp salute before regrouping with the squadron. Wargrowlmon nodded back in response.

On cue, the UH-1Y Venoms flew down, below the digimon to maintain a low profile from enemy air assets. Flying just over the abandonned buildings, Raymond quietly watched the urban landscape sweeping just below his feet. He felt the adrenaline building up in his veins, his heart rate increased with each passing second as they approached their landing site.

"Thirty seconds," He heard the pilot announce.

The Marines on board the helicopter prepared themselves for the upcoming fight. Weapons were being locked and loaded, some even fixed bayonets on their rifles, ready for CQC. He pulled the charging handle, chambering a round. He then flicked the safety switch to semi-auto, his right index lingering just above the trigger.

Dust and ash cleared away from the landing site as the helicopters begin their descent on the empty and ruined street. Barely touching ground, Raymond was the first man out, jumping out of the helicopter and landing on his feet with a soft grunt. The rest of platoon were off the helicopters with the paratroopers and the Hypnos team.

"Incoming!" Rapidmon yelled over them.

"Om!"

A reflective barrier soon spawned in front of the humans as multiple rockets flew at them. Taomon's quick intervention spared the men from an explosive end as the hostile rockets harmlessly hit the barrier, effectively protecting the humans and helicopters. In response, the Marines and paratroopers fired back, releasing rapid volleys of bullets.

"Contact front! Light 'em up!" A paratrooper officer ordered sternly.

The men manoeuvered quickly, taking cover behind cars and rubbles while suppressing the enemy with faster volume of fire. The helicopters provided close air support with their side guns, the miniguns spat out showers of 7.62mm rounds into enemy soldiers, decimating them in seconds. The distinct high-pitched whirs of the miniguns echoed in the street, waterfalls of empty, hot brass casings fell on the ground and on top of the men.

Taomon, Wargrowlmon and Rapidmon swept down and engaged the enemy from behind, eliminating dozens of digimon with rapid and powerful strikes. Wargrowlmon dove for the ground, crushing a Greymon on impact and slicing a Cyclomon's arm off in a second. Caught off guard, enemy soldiers focused their attacks on the large cyborg dinosaur. The wounded Cyclomon let out a roar filled with rage behind him, poised to launch an attack. Fortunately, the digimon was silenced by a volley of machine gun and rifle fire. The bullets tore through its flesh and crushed its bones, blood spilled out of the wounds. A grenade rolled between its legs and ignited, blowing to shred its legs. The one-eyed monster lifelessly dropped and ceased to exist, bursting into data particles.

The humans advanced, closing the gap between them and the enemy. Raymond took out a second frag grenade and pulled the the pin. He ran towards the nearest car and threw it as far as he can. He ducked behind cover and felt the ground shake, followed by a loud explosion and cries of pain.

He crouched up and opened fire, neutralizing two digimon with rapid semi-auto volleys before he felt something behind him. On instinct, he jumped out of cover, narrowly missing a kunai that struck the car's hood where his head used to be. He turned around and dodged a kick from a Peckmon. The avian digimon screeched angrily and lunged its strong and deadly talons at him. He fell back on the ground and brought his weapon up. In quick successions, he pulled the trigger, pumping hot lead into the digimon's body. Gravely wounded, the digimon staggered back in shock, gasping and choking in its own blood. Raymond stood back up and kicked the digimon away before finishing it with three more rounds to the body.

"Keep it up, Marines! Let them eat it!" Richards yelled sternly.

The Marines regrouped with their platoon leader, setting up a firing line. Machine gun teams and riflemen suppressed the enemy while grenadiers launched grenades over the line, decimating the opposition force. The paratroopers reinforced the line, adding more firepower. The small assault group were able to push back the defenders. Their digimon allies went ahead to clear a path through enemy defenses.

"Move out!" Shouted Captain Tucker, leading the paratroopers and Marines forward as they overrun an enemy position.

Richards struck the digimon soldier with the butt of his rifle. He then plunged the bayonet down the monster's chest, piercing its light armour and flesh. The digimon let out a cry of agony and desperately tried to fight back. He pulled out and aimed at its head, pulling the trigger once.

All of the sudden, he heard a furious battle cry to his left. He turned and paled once his eyes laid on an ogre-like digimon, lifting its bone club over its head, poised to crush the human into a bloody mush. Richards raised his rifle and frantically opened fire, shooting lead into the digimon's chest. The digimon seemed to be unaffected, instead it was angrier than before, hell bent on destroying the human on sight.

Then Raymond intervened by boldly charging at it, bayonet at the ready. The Marine stabbed the Ogremon through its ribcages, inflicting massive pain. The Ogremon screamed in pain and swung the club at him. He ducked just under the swing and stabbed it again on its right thigh. Wounded but very angry, Ogremon suddenly lashed out, surprising Raymond with its fast reaction. It grabbed onto him, its raw strenght almost crushing him.

It was about to throw him away but was interrupted by Richards, jumping onto the digimon's back and proceeded to stab its neck continously with his combat knife. The monster thrashed around trying to shake him off, eventually letting go of Raymond. The Staff Sergeant rolled to the side to avoid it and picked up his weapon. He was about to shoot but with the lieutenant in the way, he groaned and decided to end the digimon up close and personal. He lunged the bayonet into the beast's chest again and pulled the trigger. The bullet blew a hole through its digicore, the wound spewed out blood on the Marine before the digimon bursted into a data cloud.

Raymond, now covered in digimon blood, helped Richards up to his feet. Both men were breathing heavily. The Staff Sergeant lightly tapped the lieutenant's shoulder.

"That was really stupid and reckless of you, lieutenant," He commented.

"You were fucking stupid in the first place, Staff Sergeant," Richards retorted dryly.

"A "thank you" would be nice," Raymond received a punch to the shoulder from the officer.

"Fuck you! You could've shot it instead of charging at it like an idiot!"

"It was empty," Raymond explained sheepishly.

"There's a reason why we were issued a sidearm, Staff Sergeant,"

"Hold position, men!" Tucker ordered sternly.

The men took positions and opened fire at the incoming enemy counter-attack. Though the humans were smaller in numbers they still packed a punch, armed with machine guns, grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons, they were able to fend off the digimon with superior firepower. With solid cover and air and digimon support, the Marines and paratroopers held their ground long enough to receive a supply drop from a helicopter.

Meanwhile, Yamaki and his team took refuge in an abandonned building behind the newly established position, trying to hack into the gate... emphasis on 'trying'. The building shook violently, dust fell on them as they continued to work in the dangerous and chaotic environment. Then their heads snapped to the ceiling when they heard the floorboards in the upper floor creak heavily, as if someone was creeping around. Riley was the first one to pull out her pistol, aiming it at the stairway. Tally, being the nearest to the stairway, was roughly pulled away by Tōya. The blonde woman nervously drew her pistol out, clutching her tablet by her side while backing away.

Tōya looked at his boss stoically, awaiting for an order. Yamaki walked up to him and nodded firmly. They slowly marched up the steps, the creaks muffled by the firefight from the outside. The former soldier was on point, carefully examinating his surroundings. Barely reaching the floor, he felt a powerful shockwave throwing him off the ground, knocking him and Yamaki down the stairway. Heavy footsteps ran towards them, metal hit the floorboards with each footfall.

The operative perked his head up and gasped as a flurry of blue, orange and green jumped over him, landing on the ground floor with a resounding crash. Tally screamed in horror while Riley opened fire at the creature before them. Yamaki untangled himself off Tōya and raised his pistol up. To his shock, he was facing the digimon's back, a Diatrymon, pining Riley to the ground with one of its powerful, clawed legs, with Tally lying unconscious next to her. The woman was struggling to breathe, staring angrily at the digimon while trying to free herself. In the commotion, she tried to reach for her pistol, inches away from her fingers.

Yamaki took aim at the digimon's head. He pulled the trigger, feeling the handgun recoiling in his firm grasp as a spark shot out of the barrel followed by a warm brass casing ejected out on the side. The pistol round hit the digimon's eyeball, blood spewed out like a jet of water on impact. Diatrymon's head jerked to the side, screeching in pain by the sudden attack. Unfortunately it did not have the time to recover or respond as the men opened fire simultaneously, forcing to back away and shield itself with its strong colourful wings.

Riley let out a breath of relief, gasping in air as Diatrymon released its hold on its prey. Quickly, she picked the pistol up and rolled to her back, firing multiple rounds into the monster until the handgun clicked empty. She got back to her feet and carried Tally away from danger. The two men advanced, laying down a constant volley of fire to push the digimon out of the building.

Diatrymon roared furiously and blindly charged at the two humans. Though it is a big, living fossil bird, it is suprisingly fast. Yamaki and Tōya narrowly dodged it, almost crushed by it. Tōya spun around and fired shots into the digimon at point blank range. The digimon hissed and swung its strong wing at him, knocking the pistol out of his hands. Shocked, he tried to run away only to be knocked out by a violent headbutt to the chest. Landing on the floor with a thud, Tōya clutched his chest in pain, coughing harshly as his lungs were crushed by the sudden and powerful strike.

"Yamaki, get down!" Someone yelled sternly behind him.

Yamaki dropped on the ground. The distinct bullwhip cracks of rifles erupted over his head, causing his ears to ring painfully. He could feel the warm, empty bullet casings bounce off his back.

"Shoot its legs down!" The same voice ordered as more soldiers joined him.

Diatrymon was being peppered with multiple bullets, feathers and blood spat out of its body. It finally fell on the ground, breathing raspily while chocking on its own blood. Yamaki slowly stood back up to witness Raymond drawing out a pistol, coldly executing the digimon with a single shot to the head. The pistol's crack echoed eerily in the building. The digimon's body bursted into a cloud of data particles.

Smoke lingered hazily out of the pistol's muzzle. Raymond finally withdrew his sidearm and placed it back on his thigh holster. He turned around facing the quiet man.

"Are you okay?" He asked stoically.

Yamaki nodded in response before he pointed at Tōya, still on the ground and heavily injured.

"Get a medic for this man and I want a fireteam with them, secure and clear this building," He instructed firmly at the soldiers around him, "Keep up with the good work, Yamaki, the battle's not over yet... and make it quick,"

* * *

Things were not going well for his legion. The commander of the expeditionary force pensively gazed at the battle that unfolded before his very eyes, a few hundred meters away from the gate. Behind the sturdy steel barriers that surrounded the gate, he could hear the stern and nervous barking of his officers trying to scramble their soldiers to reinforce other friendly units and defeat the humans in battle.

Legate-General BanchoLeomon had grown to respect the humans since the invasion. Sure they were small and weak compared to a digimon, they do, however, have a great sense of duty and courage in battle, fighting for their home and fellow human to the last breath. Despite the differences of force, the humans haven't employed any desperate tactics. They rely heavily on air, artillery and tank support while their infantry can pack quite the punch if underestimated. He also noted that communication was key to organize their large forces from the upper echelons of the chain-of-command to the squad leader. And it seems that once their jammer was destroyed, the humans have gained confidence to lead another offensive towards the gate, this time employing more aggressive strikes with overwhelming firepower.

The tides of battle have changed, his legion on the back foot and making their last stand... no, this won't be their last stand, this will be their greatest feat in battle. They've crossed the gate and conquered a foothold in the Real World, daring to stir a Flybeemon's nest.

"Legate-General!" A worried voice called out to him. He turned around to face a nervous Butterflamon, saluting the high ranking officer, "Our advanced recon battalion have been defeated at the island, the humans are now encircling us as we speak!"

"Do we have any air elements?" BanchoLeomon asked calmly.

"N-negative, sir. Air Company 3 could barely hold up as we speak. The humans have rogue digimon on their side, a Taomon, a Rapidmon and a Wargrowlmon!" The enlisted soldier reported shakingly.

Coming up behind the soldier was Chief Sergeant Mervamon, his second-in-command, a deep scowl donned her battle-scarred face. She pounded her right fist to her chest and formally bowed her head.

"Legate-General, I bring you urgent news," She announced dutifully, "The humans have breached our left flank. At least a whole battalion with armour are pushing through our lines,"

"Get Company 8 and 5 to reinforce our flank and call in an artillery strike at anything 300 meters ahead of our line," BanchoLeomon ordered Butterflamon. The soldier nodded and immediately ran to accomplish his task.

The Legate-General looked back at Mervamon with a raised, curious eyebrow, "Anything else, Chief?"

"Yes, sir. There is something trying to shut the gate close," She reported, earning a surprised gasp from the high ranking officer, "I've sent some scouts to locate any potential jammers that the humans may have employed... And it so happens that they've sent four civilians into the frontline with a small number of troops,"

"How small are we talking here?"

"More or less than two companies, sir. However they have air support and are protected by the three rogue digimon," She replied with a hiss.

"Hmm... the humans are getting closer to defeat us but I think they're trying to divert our attention away from the civilians. If we want a fighting chance, then we shall eliminate these digimon and civilians. Chief Mervamon, I'm sending you to a special mission. Assemble a strike force of thirty and eliminate the HVTs at all cost,"

"As you wish, Legate-General," She stood up and casually walked away. She then stopped in her stride and faced the officer with a sly grin, "We will win this fight, I will make sure of it," With that said, she jumped down the steel wall and began her preperations.

BanchoLeomon gave one last, knowing look at her before returning his gaze at the ongoing battlefield. This has been so far his most challenging campaign, but like any battle, the Imperium will win, no matter what.

However, unbeknownst to him and his soldiers, they did not just stir a hornet's nest, they've awakened a giant from its slumber.

* * *

The last helicopter dropped off the last ammo cases at dangerous landing site. Pulling upwards the helicopter barely escaped death as bullets and rockets flew near it. Soldiers quickly took their positions along the steel barriers of the outpost, returning fire as the third enemy wave arrived.

"They're back!" Raymond said irritatedly.

"We just have to hold them off, like the last two times," Richards retorted, taking position with his Marines.

"Yeah and the gate's still not shut. Reinforcements are supposed to be here right now,"

"Just shut up and shoot, Staff Sergeant," Richards ordered dryly. "Sir, we've got five tanks incoming with foot mobiles, 400 meters to our twelve!" He yelled at captain Tucker.

"I'm calling in mortar strikes, stall them with machine gun fire," The Army officer ordered in response.

Grenadiers fired high explosive rounds at the enemy tanks, eliminating nearby infantry soldiers while causing significant damage to the heavily armoured digimon. Hails of machine gun fire suppressed the armour support while rifles took care of the foot soldiers with accurate and disciplined fire.

Distinct 'booms' echoed in the distance. The sky was filled with high-pitched whistles, the volume increased by the second. The weary digimon soldiers looked upward, expecting an air strike. Panicked screams spread among them as they spot several black dots in the sky, diving for them. They scattered, spreading their forces apart while being gunned down by the humans.

The mortar strike was devastating for the enemy. The shells hit their marks, pounding the enemy wave, blowing them to mangled pieces or shredding their insides with hot shrapnel. Their cries of pain were muffled with the sound of helicopters flying over the firefight, launching showers of rockets and heavy hitting bullets. The humans on the ground cheered in joy, hyped up by the helicopters' timely intervention. From another position Taomon, Rapidmon and Wargrowlmon watched silently the battle unfolding before them.

The three Ultimates were tired and injured. Blood and sweat dripped down their body, the adrenaline rush was still running within. Wargrowlmon was in the worse shape than his two other companions, being a slow and big target he took the brunt of enemy attacks. Covered from head to toe with scars, bruises and blood stains, his armour battered and dirty, the cybernetic dinosaur still held his chin up, breathing calmly despite his lungs were dry from exhaustion.

An unfamiliar scent suddenly caught his attention, sniffing the air for its direction. Taomon picked up on his behaviour and observed the ground below them, looking for a potential threat. Cold dread went up her spine, her grip on her brush tightened as the growing sensation of danger increased.

"Guys! Rooftops to our right!" Rapidmon yelled frantically before taking aim at two digimon gliding just over the buildings.

"Don't open fire, Rapidmon!" Taomon scolded him sternly.

"R-right!"

Rapidmon flew back, staying away from the incoming digimon. Taomon launched multiple paper seals at them while Wargrowlmon started to fire bursts of electricity bolts from his chest-mounted cannons. Their target was a Mervamon riding on top of an AeroVeedramon, the latter used his speed to dodge most of the incoming attacks. AeroVeedramon's wrist blades started to glow with pure energy, catching up to Rapidmon. He flew upwards, dozens of meters away from his target.

"Twister Sa-"

"Atomic Blaster!"

Mervamon jumped off her soldier's back, narrowly missing the large beam that completely destroyed the winged dragon. Using the momentum in the air, she spun around herself, her greatsword powered up as she prepared to attack Wargrowlmon. Caught off guard by the lithe digimon, Wargrowlmon raised the pendulum blades, protecting his face and bracing for the incoming strike. The greatsword slashed across his arms, the heat the blade radiated sliced through his armour. The powerful strike broke through his defense, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

The vernier thrusters ignited and stabilized the large digimon in the air. Just as he recovered from the attack, he felt something biting painfully onto his left leg before being violently pulled down by a strong force. He yelped in surprise as he fell, activated his thrusters to push himself back upwards. Mervamon used the Medullia arm to launch herself to the air. She jumped just over Wargrowlmon, looking at her in disbelief and shock. She raised her greatsword over her head, poised to impale the digimon as she begins to fall with gravity, and smirked sadistically. With a grunt, the large blade plunged into Wargrowlmon's right shoulder, piercing the Chrome Digizoid armour with the intense energy and burning through his flesh.

Wargrowlmon cried out in agony as they both fell towards the ground helplessly. Glaring at her, he growled and threw a left hook, the pendulum blade sliced Mervamon's abdomen, causing enough pain for her to let go of her greatsword and jump off him. The two digimon crashed into a building, falling through all six floors before hitting the ground painfully. Miraculously the building didn't collapsed despite having a large hole through its rooftop, avoiding a disaster that would've crushed nearby soldiers in the street.

The fall was strong enough to weaken Wargrowlmon and forced him to dedigivolve back to Guilmon. The red dinosaur, weak and injured, slowly and painfully stood up, clutching his wounded and bleeding shoulder and climbing out of the crater that his Ultimate form has left. His legs were wobbly, barely able to stand his weight. His body was covered with bruises and scratches, pain shot through his body with each step he took, causing him to groan every second. The adrenaline in his system was replaced with agonizing pain that spread throughout his body. Just as he reached the building's main entrance, his nose picked up the dreadful scent on his enemy. He turned around only to be met with a fist across his maw.

Blood shot out of the Rookie's mouth and nostrils, the punch threw him out onto the street. Mervamon swiped away the blood across her lips, spiting the saliva mixed with the crimson liquid and ash on the floor. She picked up her greatsword and dragged it across the asphalt as she walked menacingly towards the downed digimon. Guilmon's breathing was raspy and hollow, his whole body was throbbing with pain. He looked up at Mervamon. The female digimon just stoically stared at him before she viciously kicked him in the guts. A sharp pained gasp escaped his mouth as he curled into a fetal position, closing his eyes as hot tears dripped down his face. She stomped on his head and pointed the blade at his neck, ready to decapitate him.

"Die you fucking traitor," She hissed coldly.

"Contact front!" A human shouted before rounds flew at her.

She ducked down, avoiding her head being blown off, and she hurriedly ran behind a destroyed car. A bullet scraped her cheek, leaving a long gash across her face. She swore angrily, feeling the burning sensation on her face as warm liquid poured out of the gash.

Raymond led a mixed squad of paratroopers and Marines, pinning Mervamon behind the civilian car.

"The red dino is friendly!" He informed the squad loudly, "We need to get him back!"

The squad obeyed without question. They kept suppressing the hostile digimon as they manoeuvered around her. Each time she moved out of cover they would respond with a volley of bullets. Guilmon lied on the ground for several seconds before he made the effort to crawl back to the friendly unit. Raymond was behind a truck just across Mervamon's cover, leaving her flank exposed. He took aim at her sides and fired a five round volley. The rounds hit their target on the arm, chest and head. He fired two more shots for doubletap and waited for several seconds. The squad halted their advance and surveyed their surroundings while eyeing the motionless digimon.

"Winters, on me," He instructed.

The two Marines moved out of cover and ran to Guilmon. Raymond knelt down and wrapped Guilmon's arm around his neck.

"Can you walk?" He asked calmly. Guilmon merely nodded in response. "Alex, give me a hand here," The Lance Corporal nodded curtly and slung the digimon's other arm over him.

They lifted Guilmon up and carried him to the squad, eventhough his feet dragged along the street. They settled the digimon down behind cover while a combat medic arrived to nurse the wounds in any way possible. All of the sudden, frantic rapid fire erupted behind them.

"She's not dead!"

The soldiers frantically fired at Mervamon who ran out of cover and charged at them with incredible speed and agility. The greatsword wielding digimon attacked the nearest humans, cutting across the man's chest and impaled the other, throwing the limp body at a third soldier. The squad backed away from her, already feeling dread down their spines. Winters brought the M27IAR up and opened fire. Mervamon raised the snake arm up to shield her vital organs and sprinted towards him, Raymond and the medic.

She jumped over a car and leapt forward, the snake arm recoiled back, the maw wide and open.

"Hebi Punch!"

The snake hurled forward. Winters jumped out of the way, dodging the strike that crushed the civilian vehicle with a mighty force. Mervamon landed just behind the medic, slicing the man's back with one swift strike. Blood bursted out of the wound and painted the digimon in dark red. Raymond spun around and drew out his M9 pistol, firing multiple shots into her. She ignored the intense pain and attacked him with a downward strike. He quickly stepped aside, the greatsword cut the already crushed car in half. Winters used the opportunity to pumped hot lead into the hostile digimon. She immediately raised Medullia up, shielding herself from the incoming rounds. The M27IAR finally clicked empty, causing the Marine to curse and reload the weapon. Mervamon was about to hack him in two but was abruptly interrupted by Raymond slamming onto her.

The two warriors rolled over on the ground. Mervamon kicked the human off her and stood back on her feet glaring angrily at Raymond. The Marine pulled his combat knife out and stared defiantly back at his opponent. The humanoid digimon charged at him in the blink of an eye. Her greatsword and snake arm vanished, replaced with human arms instead. She caught his knife, pushing it away from her and slammed her knee into his chest. She swiped her left foot at his feet, forcing the man to the ground in one fluid motion. She finally punched him across his face. She was about to punch him a second time only to be caught by the Marine in mid-action. Raymond wrapped his legs around her hip into a tight lock. He twisted her fist, snapping the bone and used his strenght to slam her back on the ground with him on top of her. Without a second to spare he threw a flurry of hard hitting punches at her, eventually breaking her jaw.

The Medullia suddenly reappeared and slapped the man off of her. He slid across the ground and hit his back against Winters. The squad was ready to open fire as she stood up.

"Pyro Sphere!"

A fireball hurled at Mervamon, the inferno was strong enough to burn her until she exploded into a data cloud. The soldiers looked towards the wounded Guilmon, who was breathing heavily.

"Boom... Headshot..."

The digimon fainted and fell on the ground. Winters looked curiously at Raymond. "Did he really just said that?"

Raymond chuckled in response, "I think he did,"

* * *

"Cover fire!" Richards ordered sternly as Raymond and his squad arrived with a wounded Guilmon on a foldable stretcher, "Take him back to the outpost!"

Reinforcements has arrived after another half hour of gruelling firefight. The Japanese tanks crushed the enemy wave with superior firepower while SDF troops and Marines reinforced the newly established position. Rapidmon and Taomon had to fall back as Mervamon's strike force pushed them back and targeted Yamaki and his team.

"Hit the deck!" Rapidmon yelled over them.

Nearby troops dove to the ground and braced for the eventual explosion. A missile soared through the battlefield and struck the building where Yamaki and his team took refuge. The ground shook violently as the building's top floors caved in on itself. A thick dust cloud envelopped the position, greatly reducing visibility.

"Goddamnit... Marines on your feet!" Raymond ordered sternly before he sprinted towards the building. Winters was already behind him as they ran into the dust cloud.

He pulled the combat goggles over his eyes and slowed down to a jog, looking around for any casuaties. The moans of the dying men filled the eerie environment as he and Winters traversed the dust cloud. They soon found the building, half destroyed and barely standing up. Faint silhouettes was seen through the cloud. He raised his carbine up at a ready stance.

"Yamaki!" He shouted.

The silhouettes stopped and carefully walked towards him. To his relief, the Hypnos team was almost intact, Yamaki being the only injured. The Marines guided them out of the cloud and towards the nearest medical team. The Staff Sergeant knelt beside Yamaki and stared at him sternly.

"What's the status on the gate?"

Yamaki grunted and lifted the dust and ash covered tablet up. He swiped the screen, cleaning it and showed the displayed result. Yuggoth has been activated. As if on command, the whole battlefield seemed to stop abruptly. Gunshots and explosions were replaced with cries of pain and agony from the digimon. At the other side of the front, the humans watched confusely as digimon stopped attacking and cried, clutching their heads in pain. A general cease fire was ordered to conserve ammo while preparing to attack.

"What have you done?" Raymond asked in shock.

"We're collecting every data in Tokyo to close the gate shut," Riley answered instead, "As it so happen, digimon are made of data,"

"Does it distinguish between friend and foe?" Winters asked curiously.

His question was answered by the cries of Taomon, Rapidmon and Guilmon. The medic by his side started to panic as he tried to calm Guilmon down but to no avail. Guilmon convulsed and shook around, inflicting himself more harm than good. His form then started to flicker, bits of data ripped off of him.

Raymond stood up and looked back at the frontline. Dozens of digimon suddenly exploded into data particles before being sucked into the gate. He then stared coldly at Yamaki.

"Can't you focus the energy at a specific location?"

"It doesn't matter. They're all digimon, monsters and they all deserve to die. Guilmon and his friends will be remembered as heroes for their sacri-"

Yamaki was violently cut off as Raymond pulled him off the ground and slammed him against the side of the medical APC.

"They're our allies!"

"Three digimon won't matter when millions of lives are at stake, lives you're supposed to defend, Marine! It is your duty! I don't give a damn about your opinion or feelings!" Yamaki sneered coldly, staring defiantly at the intimidating Marine.

"Staff Sergeant! He's starting to disappear!" Winters said concernly.

Raymond gazed back at Guilmon and saw fear in his eyes. Tears were on the verged of falling off Guilmon's eyes as he stared hopelessly at the Marine.

"h-help me..." He begged weakly, screaming in pain as more data was ripped away from him.

"Look out!" Richards yelled urgently as the forms of Terriermon and Renamon fell from the sky.

Dukeman rushed out to catch Terriermon while two other soldiers caught Renamon in their arms before she could hit the ground. Yamaki pushed Raymond away from him, leaving a meter or so between them.

"You're out of the line, Marine, I'll have you court-martialed!" Yamaki threatened the Marine.

The tense confrontation turned into a physical fist fight as Raymond hurled at Yamaki. Tōya tried to help his boss, pulling the Marine off of him. Winters helped Raymond by pushing the Hypnos operative away. Tally nervously watched the violent altercation in front of her. The desperate screams for help and wails of the digimon filled her head. She shook her head in pain, clutching her head while closing her eyes shut, sobbing quietly.

"Make it stop... Make it stop..."

Riley stared at the tablet on the ground, conflicted with her own thoughts. Her mind told her to follow Yamaki's order, it was necessary to save their world but her heart protested, this was torture for these living beings. " _Living beings_ ", those words echoed aimlessly in her head. At first, she has always seen digimon as mindless and violent monsters, savages that should be exterminated, but after years of working with Hypnos and meeting digimon in person, she has found to respect them and see them as living and sentient beings. They may be made out of data but they were as real and alive as any human being.

She reluctantly picked up the tablet and started the deactivation process. She was interrupted when a massive explosion erupted at the gate. Everyone stood and watched in awe as streaks of electricity and data sparked out of the gate's void interior. The ripples of energy soared into the air, crashing with nearby buildings that collapsed into a heap of concrete and ash.

All of the sudden a mighty shockwave shot out, knocking everyone off their feet before basking the whole district in silence. The explosion was powerful enough to short-circuit the power in the whole city. Silence filled war-torn Tokyo.

She slowly stood back up and looked at the tablet in her hands. To her dismay, the screen was shattered. Then gunfire broke the silence as soldiers opened fire at the enemy.

"Advance!"

"Fire at will!"

Infantry and armour units regrouped and retaliated while the digimon barely got the time to recover. The Hypnos team was escorted further away from the frontline with the three wounded digimon. Raymond led the rest of the platoon to regroup with Richards. The tanks and IFVs started to roll forward, pushing the enemy back to the gate site.

"Lieutenant, cut through that mall and set up a firing position, I'll assign Second platoon with you!" Captain Tucker ordered.

"Copy that! Marines, on me!"

The Marines ran across the avenue and into the small alleyway, breaching the commercial centre. Their heavy footsteps echoed loudly through the empty and damaged mall. The men jogged cautiously, eyeing each store as they went through the mall. The building's lights were off, basking the mall in faint darkness. The eerie environment was then mixed with horror as the soldiers stumbled upon a trail of corpses, guts and blood. The stench was the first thing that hit them. Some of the greener soldiers weren't able to resist the urge to puke on sight. The others however simply soldiered on, continuing with the mission.

About halfway through the commercial centre, the joint group of paratroopers and Marines were met with sudden and heavy resistance from enemy fighters, hidden behind the stores and restaurants. Two were immediately killed in the initial attack, a third was wounded, lying on the ground amongst the corpses of civilians. The rest of the combined platoons spread out, taking cover and returning fire.

Raymond with a couple of Marines dove into an ice cream shop, the storefront shattered to pieces as enemy rounds whizzed just over their heads. The Staff Sergeant knelt up and leaned right, firing a couple of shots before he hit his back against the wall, avoiding another barrage of bullets.

"Does anyone have eyes on their position?!" Richards yelled from the opposite end of the ice cream shop.

"Negative!" Raymond replied in frustration, unable to peer out of cover without risking his head getting blown off. "We still have a man down out there!"

"You think you can get him?" The Lieutenant asked.

"How come I always do the fetching?!" He retorted.

"You're the lucky one, Staff Sergeant!"

Raymond pondered for a moment. He then sighed and nodded firmly. "Alright! But I'll need some cover!"

"I've got some smokes, Staff Sergeant!" Informed PFC. Brook, pulling out a M83 white smoke grenade.

"Try to not get yourself killed, Staff Sergeant, I can smell vanilla ice cream from here," Richards joked before he turned to the rest of the platoon, "Cover fire for the Staff Sergeant!"

The Marines and paratroopers let loose a volley of bullets, destroying anything in their path. Brook pulled the pin and threw the grenade as far from the shop as possible. Once the hail of bullets ceased, Raymond ran out of the shop and sprinted towards the wounded soldier. The suppression fire and smoke seemed to work, the enemy was pinned down momentarily but they'll soon know what the humans were planning.

He slid to a halt beside the soldier. "Hang in there, bud, I'm getting you out of here," He said to reassure the wounded. The paratrooper had two gunshot wounds to his right leg, another to his side and a deep cut to his scalp. He slipped his carbine to his back, picked up the soldier's weapon and slipped it to his side before he finally lifted the man and heaved him over his shoulders. The wounded let out a pained groan. The smoke cover was starting to dissipate, the enemy was preparing to fire back. He turned around and caught a glimpse of hostile troops in a large clothes shop, in a pharmacy and in a pizzaria.

He got up and ran the dozen or so meters back to the ice cream shop, minding his steps to not stomp on a corpse or slip in a puddle of blood. Incoming rounds zipped past him, a few narrowly brushed by his feet. He pratically threw himself into the ice cream shop, slamming against the reception counter on arrival. He carefully lay the wounded man on the ground, where a corpsman did a quick check-up and began to nurse the wounds.

He went back to his spot and called out to the lieutenant. "Domino's, H&M and the pharmacy!" The officer looked at him confusely, "Their positions! They're at Domino's, H&M and the pharmacy!"

Richards nodded in response and turned to the paratroopers' platoon leader, "We have hostiles inside Domino's, the clothes shop and the pharmacy. You think you can get a squad to flank around the pharmacy?"

"Yeah, we can even take out Domino's but you'll need to hold them off for awhile," Replied Second Lieutenant Michael Hegarty before he adressed to his platoon, "First squad on me! The rest of you provide additional fire for the Marines! Move out!"

"Suppressive fire!" The Marines and paratroopers lit up the stores in front of them, pinning the digimon soldiers back down behind cover.

The close quarters firefight was erratic and intense. Sporadic and loud gunshots rippled through the mall like a violent storm. The air was gradually filled with the strong smell of gunpowder in addition to the rotten corpses. The wide spacious main entrance hall of the commercial centre became a no man's land, with only two dozen meters that separated the two forces.

"That fucking store has us pinned!" Richards said in frustration as more enemy rounds zipped pass his cover.

"We can frag it, lieutenant," Suggested a paratrooper sergeant.

"Copy, we'll provide cover fire. Marines, light 'em UP!"

A squad of Marines leaned out of their cover and fired at the clothes store, destroying everything in the way. Three paratroopers threw frag grenades into the store. The hand grenades landed in different spots in the store to maximize the blast radius. Everyone ducked behind cover and waited for the explosions. The mall shook as a resounding 'boom' engulfed the store in a thick cloud of smoke and ash, shredding the clothes apart to pieces. The enemy was stunned, momentarily ceased fire until they resumed shortly after, driven to avenge the loss of their comrades. They however soon met their end when Hegarty's group managed to flank around and attacked the pharmacy from behind. The squads breached in as soon as the flashbangs detonated, blinding and disorienting enemy soldiers. They rushed in and eliminated them indiscriminately, leaving no survivors.

The remaining hostiles barricaded in the pizzaria, probably four to six soldiers, were now surrounded and outnumbered. Like an animal trapped in a corner, the digimon fought on relentlessly, not giving up to the last standing digimon. Marines and paratroopers tried to breached in by first blowing up the makeshift barricade. The combined blasts of 40mm grenades and hand grenades was enough to destroy and annihilate the enemy's defenses, killing two digimon in the process. Unfortunately for them, the digimon weren't going to give up. As soon as the Marines were about to move out to clear the fast food restaurant, they were met with fierce and savage resistance, resulting with one dead and four wounded.

The defenders, wounded and exhausted, have ran out of ammo and went on a suicidal charge. Their warcries were as loud as the gunshots that ended their lives in a matter of seconds. In three seconds to be precise. Finally the mall was deemed cleared and under human control. Hegarty called in additional reinforcements while the Marines quickly made their way to the opposite end of the mall, where they'll get a clear sight of the gate as well as the digimon's forward base.

Allied forces were now converging from all five connected streets toward the gate. Artillery bombardments halted, replaced with mortar and tank strikes with air support raining down death. The enemy's base was crumbling, its defensive walls destroyed and ripped apart, leaving the troops exposed and vulnerable from all angles.

* * *

His legion was on the brink of defeat, barely standing on its feet. His exhausted and wounded soldiers were gathered around the gate to make their final stand as the humans were approaching them cautiously, their weapons up and ready to shoot them. The battle has ceased much to the digimon's surprise.

BanchoLeomon breathed raspily, sweat and blood poured out of his body and wounds respectively. His soldiers were in worst shape than him. Their numbers have drastically reduced to a few hundred, some of whom couldn't even stand upright, let alone fight. For the first time in years, he felt afraid and defeated. He observed the humans, their pace was slow and careful, expecting him and his troops to surrender. He chuckled grimly. They have put up quite a fight despite the fact that humans were physically weaker creatures. But alas they were also their creators, that has to count for something.

"S-sir... what are your orders?" Came the nervous question of a tired officer, one of the few that made it out alive so far.

The Imperium have sent his legion to wage war against the humans, to conquer the Real World. His legion was just a scout element, they weren't suppose to fight in the thick of battle. He was led to believe that the Real World would be an easy victory. The higher ups were wrong, as per usual. The humans were strong and during the battle he learned that they were brutal yet smart in combat.

That said, he had orders to follow. Conquer the Real World to the last legionaire.

"We fight... fight to the last digimon, show them one last display of courage and honour. Attack!"

Shocking both digimon and humans, he leapt over his soldiers and charged at the nearest human, his sword poised to kill. Without a second thought, the rest of the legion attacked, letting out one final and courageous battle cry before they face their enemy head on in a suicidal charge.

* * *

"OH FUCK!"

"Open fire!"

The soldiers quickly backed away and gunned down every hostile digimon. The Marines at the commercial centre opened fire, saving a whole platoon of SDF soldiers from death. Unfortunately, most soldiers near the gate were locked in melee combat, tank and air support were out of the question, leaving the infantry to fend for itself.

"Fix bayonets!" Richards ordered sternly.

The Marines did as ordered, preparing to meet the digimon face-to-face. Raymond jumped over the shattered façade of the mall. He halted in his track and crouched down to a stable firing stance and took aim at an incoming digimon warrior. The M4A1 carbine spit out multiple bursts of hot lead, each round pierced the digimon's light armour and flesh. The digimon crumbled on the ground, succumbing to the agonizing pain while blood poured out of the wounds. The rest of the platoon joined him and formed a firing line, gunning down every digimon in their sights with deadly and accurate volleys.

"Contact right!" A Marine yelled frantically, shifting to the right as BanchoLeomon charged straight at the platoon.

The Marines quickly switched their focus on the incoming digimon and Raymond felt dread. He knew immediately who they were facing against and he didn't like their odds of survival.

"Fall back!" He ordered urgently, providing cover fire.

His attempt was futile. BanchoLeomon's strenght and speed was enough for him to reach the first Marine, thrusting the straight sword through the man's plate carrier and flesh. Blood poured out of the back as the blade stuck out from the other side. The men were horrified and backed away as fast as possible. The Mega-level digimon tossed the limp body aside, eyeing the retreating humans coldly. His right fist was set ablaze, engulfed with an intense inferno, one that could match the roar of a mighty beast. He then slammed his blazing hand to the ground, forming cracks that shot at the Marines. The initial shockwave was strong enough to knock them off their feet. The cracks suddenly spat out furious flames that latched on nearby victims, setting them on fire that consumed them.

BanchoLeomon focused on pouring more fiery energy into the cracks, extending them to reach more targets. This also leaves him open to attacks, which Raymond took the opportunity. A bullet grazed the digimon's cheek, cutting a deep, bloody gash and making him growl in pain. He snarled and glared at Raymond.

The Marine heard his weapon clicking empty. He cursed under his breath and tried to reload the carbine. He managed to get the empty magazine out before he dove out of BanchoLeomon's sword thrust. Leaving no choice but to face the digimon in hand-to-hand combat, Raymond calmly breathed and took a fighting stance, his carbine now used as a spear, a very short spear.

The digimon struck first, gliding at Raymond in a second and swirved the sword in a downward slice. He narrowly blocked it by lifting the carbine over his head. The blade hit the firearm and slid through, missing the man's shoulder by a foot. The raw strenght was enough to force the weapon down. This gave him the opportunity to respond. On instinct and with the momentum, he violently drove the butt of the carbine into BanchoLeomon's snout. The brutal force was enough to stagger the beast man back with a broken nose and bleeding lips. He then plunged the bayonet below the clavicle, severing a joint. The blade twisted in the flesh, inflicting a very painful wound while severely damaging the right shoulder. The pain was too much for the digimon to handle, letting go of his sword in response.

BanchoLeomon growled in pain and anger. He punched the man across his face, forcing his opponent to pull the blade out of the wound. Blood spewed out once the bayonet was out, causing more pain to the Mega digimon.

Raymond got back to his feet, his whole face was numb from the digimon's strike. He spun around just in time to receive a strong kick to the chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He felt his body being thrown into the air for a second before landing on the ashen and hard street. A familiar metallic back taste was caught in his throat. Two things were now clear to him: he was bleeding internally and now BanchoLeomon is royally pissed.

In other words, it was at this moment that he knew he fucked up.

Closing in on his prey, Raymond slowly crawled away from the humanoid creature. A large shadow loomed over him. He groaned in pain, breathing rapidly as the air went thick suddenly. The battle still continued, yet he couldn't find any help in his field of vision.

" _Out of luck, I guess..."_ He thought bitterly.

He picked up a nearby piece of concrete and slowly stood up. He could feel the digimon's death glare and hot breath down his neck. In one swift motion, he crouched down, turned on his feet and tackled the large creature to the ground. He raised the improvised blunt weapon over his head and struck down. BanchoLeomon caught his hand in mid-action, crushing it with his mighty force. With his other hand, he strangled the human on top and pushed him aside, forcing him to the ground and applied more pressure around the throat.

Panic started to seep into his mind as he tried to fight off the large beast that was on top of him. His free arm didn't do much but good thing he was a NCO. He reached for his sidearm and drew it out of the thigh holster. He shoved the handgun into the digimon's side and emptied the magazine rapidly, pumping 9mm parabellum rounds into the digimon. Once empty, he lifted his arm up and swung the pistol's grip at Bancholeomon's left eye. Feeling the pressure around his neck loosening, he continued to violently bash the monster's head until he released him from his vice-like grip.

In the short moment of relief, Raymond gasped in air greedily, filling his lungs with oxygen that he so much needed... air that was also mixed with dust and ash. He coughed dryly while recovering. He rolled away from his opponent and reloaded his sidearm. He fired one shot into the air as Bancholeomon's foot swung at his pistol, flying out of his grasp in an instant. Next thing he knew, the lion's fist struck his cheekbone. His hand instinctively reached for his combat knife, his training kicking in and taking over his body.

"Diamond Storm!"

He caught glimpse of golden blur in the air before multiple sharp projectiles shot out towards BanchoLeomon. The digimon spun and raised his forearms over his head, taking in the brunt of the surprise attack.

"Pyro Sphere!" Cried out another voice.

A huge fireball hurled through the air and slammed onto the Mega-level digimon. The force was enough to push him back a few feet, now standing a meter next to Raymond. The Marine got to his feet and frantically searched for his primary and secondary weapons.

Renamon and Guilmon stood beside each other, taking a fighting stance while staring sternly at their opponent. BanchoLeomon chuckled darkly as he recovered from the attacks, staring back at them with hollow eyes. Both Rookies were in no shape to defeat the Mega alone. Their body were still weak and injured.

"Okay... now what?" Guilmon asked uncertaintly.

"We fight," She answered flatly.

"Great... I was hoping you'll say that," He retorted sarcastically before shooting her a wink.

"You'll be fine," She replied curtly before she leapt into the air, preparing to strike.

BanchoLeomon dodged Renamon's attack, rolling forward and closing in on Guilmon. He launched a powerful and fiery uppercut at the dinosaur, throwing the Rookie across the street. Guilmon eventually slid to halt when his body hit the mall. He let out one pained groan.

"I'm... I'm gonna rest h-here..." He croacked before falling unconscious.

The humanoid lion turned around and blocked Renamon's foot, taking her tail in the air and forcefully pulled her to the ground. She crashed on the floor with a crack. She heard something metallic dragging across the asphalt. She defiantly looked up at her opponent. He raised the sword just over her digicore, planning to end her instantly. His execution was interrupted by a Marine tackling him to the ground.

The two warriors rolled around for a moment, Raymond came on top of the digimon and swiftly plunged the knife to his throat. The lion's roar was replaced into a gurgling mess of choking and crying as blood filled his throat, rolling out of his mouth as he desperately fought for air. Raymond held firm onto the hilt of the knife, putting more pressure as the blade dug deeper into the flesh. The erratic convulsions and agitation caused the wound to widen, severely shredding his windpipes.

Raymond could only stare into Bancholeomon's eyes as the digimon panicked. Fear was all he could see in his eyes. The colours in his pupils were drained from life, becoming two large and empty voids. The digimon lied motionless, his arms and legs fell limply on the ground. The human breathed shakingly, getting off of the corpse and stepping away from it with shock written on his face. His legs couldn't support his weight, he fell to his knees pathetically while staring at BanchoLeomon's dissipating body. And as if on cue, the battle was over. Not a single digimon was alive... well except for Renamon and Guilmon who quickly ran into trouble.

"On the ground!"

"Hands behind your head!"

"Ground! NOW!"

The vixen wordlessly obeyed their commands, lying on her stomach with her hands behind her head. She spotted Guilmon being forcefully dragged to her, one of the human soldiers shoved him to the ground. She snarled in response, causing the nervous soldiers around her to aim at her head. She didn't expect to be welcomed as heroes but treating her lover like trash was off limits.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Stand down! Stand down!"

In the confusing and tense commotion, Marines were pushing Japanese soldiers away from the digimon. Orders were barked at them while a familiar officer was arguing with a Japanese officer.

"They're friendlies! Allies! Tell your men to stand down!" Richards demanded sternly. The officer gazed at him confusely and nervously. He relunctantly conceded and told his men to stand down. "Thank you," Richards said sincerely before he and a couple of Marine helped Renamon and Guilmon on their feet. "You guys alright?"

"We're fine, sir," Renamon replied thankfully.

"Actually... I'm hungry," Guilmon said bluntly. Richards could only laugh while a Marine passed the dinosaur an energy bar.

* * *

Tokyo fell silent after the gruelling and chaotic battle. Most of the capital's centre was ruined, destroyed by the enssuing firefights that took place across the city. Slowly, the soldiers were ordered to establish checkpoints, search for any civilian survivors and clean the streets, clearing them from the numerous corpses that scattered throughout war-torn Tokyo. This event has caught and shocked the world, thousands of lives were lost during those three days. Although the billions of dollars worth of property damage could be fixed in the following months, the whole country and especially the people of Tokyo will be permanently scarred. This was the first time Japan was invaded by a foreign force, the last one being the Mongols in their failed attempts during the late XIII century.

The eyes of the world are now upon Japan, waiting anxiously for a report of the situation and the Prime Minister's response.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hey! Sorry for being late, I spent most of my vacation outside and playing video games _(curse you Battlefront 2 and Hollow Knight)_ instead of writing. But at least the story is almost over, just one more chapter _(I think)_ before I move on with the sequel to Digital Crisis. Leave a review if you want, I'm not forcing you but it c** **ould help me.** **Sooo... à la prochaine!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _March 20th 2017, Tokyo._

Raymond narrowed his eyes as the reporters blinded him with camera flashes while they bombarded him with questions, their words drowned into a loud mess of incoherent phrases. Beside him was Itami in his formal dress uniform, standing at the attention of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense. The two soldiers were standing at the podium in the National Theatre of Japan – the National Diet Building, the PM's Office and the Cabinet Office were still under heavy reconstruction – where they were called by the Prime Minister himself to award them for their bravery during the battle and to deliver an official statement to the nation and the whole world.

Unofficially, this was a scheme to divert the public's attention away from the recent controversy that sparked a day after the battle. The government was criticized for failing to send troops in time during the invasion, it was proven that numerous units were ordered to stand down during the fighting. The government made the wise decision to throw Hypnos under the bus, blaming them for not preventing the invasion. As if they had the technology to detect a gate that appeared out of nowhere to begin with. This ridiculous controversy even reached the international community, turning the debate into a mess of "blah, blah, blah" and more nonsense.

You know, basic politics.

The Prime Minister started to state his opening speech of the awards. Raymond didn't listen, primarily because his level of Japanese wasn't that good but also he didn't feel like he deserved a medal, especially for courage, valour and heroism. He didn't deny his acts in the battle but the fact that only him and Itami were awarded sat uncomfortably with him. Many soldiers did extraordinary actions in the battlefield, many gave out their lives heroically yet they were not mentionned. Sure the casualty list is far too long to name each fallen but there were still numerous soldiers who acted above and beyond the call of duty. Alas this is the current situation and he was part of it, might as well suck it up and move through the day.

The loud claps of the reporters broke his trance and he shifted his gaze to the approaching Head of State, behind him were SDF staff personel with black cases in their hands. The Prime Minister smiled and shook the Marine's hand firmly, steeping aside and smiled for the camera before turning to one of the staff personel. He opened one case, presenting the American Medal of Honour, sent to the Japanese government by POTUS himself. Raymond bowed his head down, letting the PM to slip the prestigious military decoration around his neck. To be frank, he did feel a little bit proud though he wished this ceremony happened in the States where his family could at least attend it.

The second case was opened, displaying the Japanese Medal of Honour with Red Ribbon. The medal was much smaller and didn't have the same prestigious impact and value than its American counterpart. The Prime Minister gently pinned it on his chest just below the Marine Corps service ribbons. He shook his hand once again, stepped back and saluted him. Raymond saluted back stoically. He then moved on to Itami, awarding him with the Medal of Honour with Red Ribbon, the Order of the Rising Sun (Second Class) and a sash of Order, personally signed by the Emperor of Japan. The two soldiers then took their seats behind the Prime Minister with the rest of high ranking officers, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the head of Hypnos and scapegoat of the government, Yamaki.

"Citizens of Japan," The Prime Minister began firmly, "On March 9th, 2017, Tokyo was invaded by a foreign and alien force from another world. The portal, now named as "the Gate", appeared mysteriously in the middle of Ginza, where thousands of pedestrians lived on with their day. This foreign army, comprised of "Digital Monsters" or "Digimon" for short, indiscriminately and brutally attacked our fellow citizens. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police was the first to respond to this surprise aggression. Among them was Second Lieutenant Yōji Itami, of the Ground Self-Defense Force, who led and directed the evacution of eight thousand civilians at the Imperial Palace. Twenty minutes into the battle, the SDF fought the digimon, establishing multiple Forward Operating Bases around Ginza while the United States Marine Corps oversaw the Shinjuku FOB," The reporters remained silent since the speech started, taking down notes as they listen to the Prime Minister.

"An hour later, the entire United States Forces of Japan and the Eastern Army were mobilized and deployed to Tokyo to contain the opposition force. It is also at this time that an American fleet was heading to Tokyo with Marines and Army paratroopers. The Central Army was placed in the maximum state of alert while the North Eastern Army began preparations to reinforce and resupply our forces. The battle lasted 44 hours, in which Americans and Japanese fought valiantly and courageously the digimon army, eventually leading to the decisive victory and the utter destruction of the opposition force. The numbers aren't certain yet but we have counted at least 47,000 killed, civilians and combatants included. This event will live on in infamy for Japan, Tokyo will be forever scarred by this battle. However it is also during this harsh and hellish time that we saw the best acts of Humanity and bravery. Staff Sergeant Stephen Raymond and Second Lieutenant Yōji Itami showed us the sacrifice and courage to go above and beyond the call of duty but thousands others, dead and alive, showed exact valour in the battlefield, fighting for home, country and family. That is why, after numerous discussions with the Cabinets and with the accords of the United Nations Security Council, I, Shingenori Hōjō, Prime Minister of Japan, declare war on the digimon nation responsible for this atrocious and brutal attack,"

A collection of surprised gasps, shocked mutters and stunned silence followed after that statement. Japan going to war was unconceivable to the general public, even when the Constitution had been modified in 2015 that allowed the SDF to be deployed in foreign states. The other reason that shocked the reporters was the fact that the invasion was carried out by a "digimon nation".

"Yes, indeed. After an undisclosed source given to Hypnos, the belligerent force was part of the "Imperium", a totalitarian empire that is currently waging war in the Digital World and have now set their eyes on our world. We must unite our forces and prevent a future invasion. For a week, the SDF carried drone reconnaissance across and into the gate. This will give us the opportunity to strike back the Imperium and bring down justice, freedom and Democracy. We will liberate the Digital World from the Imperium but we need help, that is why I beg the international community to aid us with this dangerous but noble mission. We will accept any support and help we can get before we start the campaign. I am willing to speak and negociate with other states for this campaign. To my fellow Japanese citizens, I promise to you all that justice will succeed and the Imperium will pay for attacking our great nation." He declared firmly before he left the podium much to the shock of everyone. The reporters bombarded him with questions, trying to comprehend what was going on but alas he did not give a single comment.

Four days later, Prime Minister Shingenori Hōjō unceremoniously fled his office due to the heated debate he created with the United Nations, which then sparked another controversy when Interpol and the National Police Agency accused him of money laundering and tax evasion. He was shortly replaced with current Prime Minister Motoi Shinzō.

* * *

 _April 5th 2017, Camp Soumagahara, Shintō._

The sound of boots hitting the paved road echoed loudly as a platoon of Marines jogged in tight formation for their routine morning run. The whole military camp was bustling with activity as Japanese and American soldiers trained and prepared themselves for the upcoming invasion of the Digital World. Barely a week after Hōjō's statement to the world, the United Nations agreed to aid and liberate the Digital World with Japan and the United States at the lead of the expeditionary force: the International Digimon Defense Force. The IDDF First Expeditionary force is mostly comprised of NATO state members, primarily the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia, Belgium and Germany to name a few. The IDDF is however a UN military force and so falls under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Security Council. Other nations that support financially or militarily the IDDF include, for example, South Korea, China, South Africa, Brazil, India, Pakistan and Saoudi Arabia.

This is probably the largest international military force in modern History. This could also mark as the first time that the world's nations united under the same banner and goal: the protect Humanity from Digimon.

As the world prepares itself for war, the United States, under the commands of President Marshall Dirrel, created a new specialised division in the Marine Corps, the "First Digimon Expeditionary Marines" or "Digital Marines" for short. They will be the country's primary task force in response to digimon related threats. To prepare and adapt themselves for the unknown dangers of the Digital World, the Marines received specialised training from MARSOC, renewed tactics and equipment as well as an increase of budget for the Marine Corps and military research institutes such as DARPA and the MCCDC. But one key detail that makes the "Digital Marines" stand out from the others: the inclusion of digimon personel into their forces.

Hypnos provided the Corps with a list of potential recruits after scanning throughout Tokyo for digimon. Although the list showed at least four dozen digimon, they were all Rookies with young tamers. The list finally counted down to only four digimon: Renamon, Guilmon, Cyberdramon and Flamedramon. Originally there were to be seven digimon but Impmon and Terriermon were _too small_ to serve while the last one, a Dobermon, refused to serve and preferred to stay behind.

His footsteps were soon muffled as he walked across the field towards the group of digimon and Marines, doing push-ups while a drill sergeant counted for them loudly and sternly. Second Lieutenant Raymond stopped in his tracks just a few paces behind the drill sergeant. The senior Marine sensed his presence and turned around, sharply saluting the officer. He returned the salute formally.

"Alright that's enough, stand in line and wait for further orders!" The drill sergeant barked. The digimon quickly executed his command, standing in line while recovering from the exercise, but it seemed like they didn't need one, unlike their human counterparts. "Is there anything you want, sir?"

"Affirmative, Gunnery-Sergeant, I would like to discuss some matters with Private Renamon," Raymond replied plainly, gazing at the four digimon.

"Private Renamon!" The Gunnery-Sergeant called loudly.

"Sir!"

"You may take your leave with the Lieutenant,"

"Yes sir!"

Raymond beckoned the digimon to follow him while the rest of the platoon resumed their exercise. He tossed her a small bottle of water, which she thankfully accepted and drank the half of it in one swing. He led her to the Marines' HQ and towards his office.

"Stand over there," He pointed at the spot behind a chair. She silently obeyed and stoically stood at his attention.

He took a seat behind his desk and pulled out a folder. "So, how's basic training so far?" He asked casually, "Oh and be honest, please,"

"Tiring, repetive but easy, sir," She replied bluntly, earning a chuckle from the officer.

"I knew you'll say that," He said before he cleared his throat, "That is why I'm offering you another job, more suited for you and that requires your _special_ skills," He gazed at her, intriguing the vixen with this offer, "Are you familiar with Force Recon?"

"I've heard a little bit about them," She replied sincerely.

"Well I've discussed with the Recon unit attached to the company about integrating you into their platoon. They agreed and are willing the welcome you into their platoon. Congratulations, Private Renamon, you are now a Recon Marine," He stated with a small smile.

Renamon seemed to be surprise at first but quickly masked her reaction with her usual cold and neutral expression. She bowed her head respectfully towards him, "Thank you, sir, it will be an honour to be a part of Force Reconnaissance,"

A knock on the door interrupted them. It opened after Raymond gave permission to enter, revealing to be a First Lieutenant, maybe older than him by a few years. The officer had tanned features, blond short cut hair and bright blue eyes. The Marine was also much larger than Raymond, the woodland MARPAT shirt envelopped tightly around his well developped chest, broad shoulders and biceps. He gave Raymond a curt salute and observed Renamon nonchalantly.

"You must be Private Renamon, am I correct?" He spoke calmly.

"Yes, sir," She replied flatly.

"Renamon, meet your new platoon commander, First Lieutenant Colbert," Raymond informed her.

"It is an honour to meet you, Lieutenant Colbert," She stated graciously with a bow.

"The feeling's mutual, Private. I guess you'll leave her with me from here now?" He asked plainly at Raymond, who responded with a nod. "Get your stuff and meet me at the mess hall in twenty mikes," He instructed her before he opened the door and politely let her out first.

"Good luck, Renamon," Raymond said before the door closed in front of him.

Later in the day, all officers and non-commissioned officers of the battalion were reported to the multi-purpose room. The spacious room was filled with the idle chatter of the Marines, waiting patiently for their battalion commander to begin the briefing. Raymond sat between Captain Richards and Staff Sergeant Dukeman, his nominated second-in-command. He took a quick glance at his wrist watch.

"Running late?" Richards asked with a sly smile.

"I hope no-" His words were abruptly silenced when the battalion's Sergeant-Major shouted.

"ATTEN-SHUN ON DECK!"

Immediately, everyone stood up with their backs straight and gazed forward with stoic expressions, their hands against their sides as they silently watched Lieutenant-Colonel Eversman walk in the room with a proud smile.

"At ease and take your seat," He instructed calmly.

There was a brouhaha of chairs being moved as they all sat down in unison before complete silence reigned once more. Facing the rows of Marines was a wide, blank screen where the projector and laptop stood on a table just in front of the Marines. Eversman walked towards the table, picked up the projecter's remote control and stood back beside the screen. A light, cheerie "bip" broke the silence as the projector displayed the Marine Corps' famed emblem: the "Eagle, Globe and Anchor" before the map of the world was displayed to the Marines.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Marines, the invasion is upon us in two months. In two months, "Operation Restoring Freedom" will begin in Ginza where Japanese and American forces will be the first to cross it and arrive in the Digital World; we will be at the very tip of the invasion force, the first to land our boots on the ground and face this new world..." He intentionally slip a small moment of silence, letting his words sink in the minds of the Marines.

"Marines, in two months, we will embark on a campaign that will make the difference between the freedom of this world and its destruction along with Humanity. March 9th was quite a day, the digimon army of the Imperium's war machine, attacked and slaughtered our people, our kind. Now across the gate, the Digital World and its inhabitants, Digimon, are under the tyranical rule of the Imperium, fighting desperately for their freedom, however the Imperium means to keep that world and are in the process to invade and conquer ours..."

"But they've made a grave mistake that day. We fought them that day and here's what the Imps are not expecting: the fucking United States Marine Corps. Marines, from now on terrorism will not be our job, the Middle East will not be our theatre of war; the Digital World is. Besides, the International Goatfuckers can wait their turn before we whip 'em down," Light laughter broke the heavy silence that weighed in the room, easing the solemn air.

"Marines will do battle with the Imps in their own world, a world that no human being have stepped on or ever heard of before the invasion of Tokyo. Now the JSDF have sent multiple drone scouts around our landing site and so far they haven't found any hostile presence. That said, we do not know much about this world; that is why it is safe to assume that the moment we hit our boots on the ground, expect a fierce fight. The Imperium will not let us get through their turf that easily but we will make sure that they'll regret facing us! Marines, the eyes of the world will be upon us on that day, we are writing History that will change the course of Humanity as we speak. Our success rate depends solely on you, the men and women on the ground. You're decisions and actions will matter. You're lives now belong to the security of our world. I suggest that, if the chance presents itself, to call your family and loved ones, if possible, hold them dearly, and join them in prayers for peace on this Earth and goodwill to everyone, no matter their skin colour, beliefs or origins. Then report back here, ready to cross the wide void of God knows where that lay inside the gate; where we will meet our enemy and kill them all. That is all I have to say. Semper Fi," Eversman calmly observed his Marines before he left the room in silence.

"A-TTEN-HUT!" The Marines stood up straightly and stoically, "Carry on,"

The briefing ended and the chatter resumed, they were all pumped and impatient to face their new enemy. The excitement of exploring a new world was also mixed with apprehension and worry. The fear of the unknown was still in everyone's mind, the enemy they faced that day will be nothing compared to what they will face in the near future. They will lead the offensive, into the digimon's homeworld. Anything could happen after they've crossed the gate.

"This looks like Irak all over again," Richards lowly said, gazing at the world map.

"At least we're going to invade a fantasy world," Dukeman replied, trying to lighten up the mood, "Hey, you think we'll see some cat girls over there?" He asked slyly.

"Why? Is that your kink? I thought you were married," Raymond said humorously.

"Not really, but it would be cool. Don't you think?"

"Don't know, might want to ask Raymond, he knows more than anyone in the battalion, heck maybe the whole Marine Corps," Richards joked lightly, pushing Raymond with his elbow.

"I'm afraid that the Digital World will not be filled with cute cat girls, gothic lolis and sexy elves. It is quite dangerous if you look at the list of digimon there currently is," He answered truthfully.

"Man, why do you have to break a man's dream?" Dukeman complained, "I was really hoping to get a picture of one, maybe tame an adorable Pokemon-"

"Digimon, Louis," Raymond corrected, "And I sure hope Pokemon aren't real, because we have enough problems with Digimon, in addition with terrorism,"

"Yeah, you don't want to forget about _those_ guys either," Richards retorted dryly. "You think we're up for this?" He asked with a more serious tone.

"Dunno, to be frank," Dukeman shrugged, "A lot can happen once we step foot into that world, and God knows what awaits us at the other side. What about you, Raymond?"

Raymond remained silent for during the conversation, observing the world map pensively before he shifted his gaze toward Dukeman.

"Can't be sure... It is going to be tough out there, even with digimon on our side nothing will guarantee us a high success rate..." Then a knowing grin crept up on his lips, "But at the same time, Colonel's right, the Imps aren't going to expect us... so who knows? Maybe we'll just beat the shit out of 'em?"

"Well one thing's sure for me; I hope it'll be a short war," Richards stated, "If back there was a victory... I'll really hate to see defeat,"

Both Raymond and Dukeman hummed in agreement; none of them were able to imagine the drastic consequence if they failed to defeat the Imperium. They hoped that wouldn't be the case.

* * *

 _June 20th 2017, Ginza District, Tokyo. D-Day to "Operation Restoring Freedom"._

Hundreds of soldiers, American and Japanese, stood in tight and organized formations at the attention of the Japanese Prime Minister. Beside the stage where the Prime Minister and other state officials stood was the impressive and intimidating gate, surrounded by a thick steel dome installed by the Self-Defense Force. Ahead of the infantry formations were the vehicles with the tanks at the very front of the invasion force.

The whole district had been sealed off by the JSDF, turning into a heavily fortified and militarized zone under the jurisdiction of Japan and the UNSC. Just outside the perimeter was a mass crowd of civilians, weeping for their fallen at the Ginza monument of fallen but also cheering the soldiers; their cries for vengeance and justice echoed clearly throughout the district. For once, the people of Japan demanded war...and war was declared.

The military formations were specifically organized in order to distinguish each unit and their position in the expeditionary force. Leading the expedition were the "Digital Marines", following behind them was the JSDF and finally the U.S. Army. Back at Yokota Air Base, French, Canadian and British forces were preparing to leave the base as the second wave.

Prime Minister Motoi Shinzō cleared his throat as he begins his speech to the troops who are about to embark on the most important military campaign in modern History.

"Thanks to the combined efforts of Hypnos, the UN and NATO, this action is finally authorized and ready to begin. You carry with you the hopes and dreams of our people and our country but also those of Humanity as a whole. Members of the Defense Force and of the US Armed Forces, serve with distinction and valour; we shall expect nothing less of you. May the gods be with you in this journey and protect your souls so you may all return home safely,"

He then stepped away from the podium, leaving to a high ranking officer to step up, in full combat gear, to address the troops with a firm and authoritative voice.

"I am Lieutenant-General Hazama, your commander-in-chief for this expedition. Several missions have scouted the regions around our landing site for the last four weeks; so far all of them have returned safely but we're still don't know what we'll be facing. Therefore I suggest that you all get ready for the possibility of being in a firefight the moment we step into that world. Remember your training and stick with your unit. This is going to be a tough war but I expect you all to perform your duty without hesitation. We're moving out shortly! Get in your vehicles and standby for the go code! Move out!"

"Ryoukai!"

"Oohah!"

Came the combined response, echoing through the streets and reaching the civilians, who then cheered louder in response. The soldiers quickly got in their designated vehicles, the sound of boots hitting the asphalt rumbled in the air, the mighty roars of engines shattered the sky; in minutes, everyone was ready for the upcoming invasion.

The steel dome opened its heavy, sliding doors, hissing as it slowly reveals to the world the gate that shook the whole world, a physical portal that linked two worlds together and brought them to war. The M1A2 Abrams tanks moved out, beginning at the tip of the spearhead. Their threads shook the ground beneath as the mighty and formidable metal beasts rolled into the gate and its void interior.

Inside the General's Type 82 Command and Communication Vehicle, Lieutenant-General Hazama observed and listened to the current progress of the expeditionary force with his designated 2IC, First Lieutenant Yanagida.

"General, the spearhead, they are now in their way through," The young officer reported with uncertainty, "The rest are following but we really don't know-"

"I know," Hazama interrupted him calmly, "I told them to be ready for a fight when we get there. That thing's a bottleneck so we just have to deal with it,"

Once the main armour went through the gate, the armoured transports were next. As the first APCs entered the gate, they were immediately envelopped in darkness, their headlights being their only source to illuminate their path in this dark and lifeless environment. The soldiers inside the vehicles tried to not freak out for the gate made them uncomfortable all of the sudden.

After several long and disconcerting minutes of travelling in the void, a bright light was visible at the end; finally, they were reaching the Digital World.

 _"Thus it begins, the story of two worlds, mysteriously linked to one another..."_

The vehicles spread around as they arrived at their landing site. Tanks formed up a line around the pre-established perimeter. Troops shortly arrived and disembarked from their vehicles, setting up firing positions as they braced for a fight.

"We've got contacts to our front! Six hundred meters!"

The Marines readied their weapons, the vehicles aimed their guns at the incoming hostile army. Adrenaline surged into their bodies along with fear and worry. The night of this world was clear but the flashes of the opposition force was brighter, truly displaying their massive size from the distance. The humans knew that they were outnumbered from the start but they must hold their position until the rest of their forces could join them in battle.

 _"Between the two worlds rests a single path, tied together... that path came to be known as... the Gate..."_

 _"And so, the IDDF fought there."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well that's the last chapter! I hope you've enjoyed reading this story, I had a lot of fun writing this. Next stop is Digital Crisis 2 but that won't be up in a few months (bachelor's degree to pass first). Please don't hesitate to leave a review, it is appreciated and could help me improve this story or others. Have a nice day (or night) and _à la prochaine! :D_**


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